“The fondest memories are made gathered around the table“

Many of the U.K Youtubers I watch indulge in the tradition of a Sunday Roast. Some cook it themselves, others visit a local pub in their town. Something about sitting down to an extra special meal on Sundays really appeals to me and takes me back to my childhood. When I was a kid my mom stuck to simple quick meals throughout the week to feed our large family but Sundays were extra special. We’d move from the kitchen table to the formal dinning room and enjoy a Lasagna with salad and garlic toast. It may sound simple but as a child it felt like a special occasion.

I’ve adopted the tradition of the Sunday roast at home. Sundays in Autumn are Football days here at home so while my husband watches the games, I busy myself with delicious food making. You can find the recipe to a traditional roast I did HERE. This week I tried something totally different: A glazed ham roasted in the slow cooker. It came out so good and only has 3 ingredients.

Maple Glazed Ham

There’s only 2 of us at home so this made enough for dinner + leftovers the next day (4-5 servings)

You Will Need:

1 Cooked Ham (2 Lbs)

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup

1/4 cup Pineapple Juice

cooking spray

1-2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions:

Make slices about a 1/4 way into the ham all the way across so that the juices penetrate.

Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray and place the ham inside. Rub the brown sugar all over the ham and making sure it gets in between the slices.

Turn ham upside down and pour the maple syrup over it followed by pineapple juice.

Set the slow cooker to the Low setting and cook for 2 hours. If you are using a larger ham for a bigger group you will need to cook for longer ie: a 6-8 Lb ham will need about 3-4 hours in the slow cooker.

Once the timer goes off, remove the ham to a separate serving platter and slice in to individual servings. Place the juices into a medium pan on the stovetop at medium/high heat. In a cup, add 1-2 tsp of cornstarch with 1-2 tsp of water. Stir and pour into juice mixture, this will help it to thicken. Whisk until it’s thickened and pour over the ham.

For sides I made Scalloped Potatoes and French style Haricot Verts (aka green beans).

Scalloped Potatoes

You will need: (serves 4)

2-3 large Yukon gold potatoes , peeled

1 block of Gruyere Cheese

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan

2 cups milk

3 garlic cloves roughly chopped

1/2 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Set the oven to 375

Slice potatoes into very thin disks and set on a paper towel and pat dry.

In a small pot add the milk, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a low simmer for a few minutes to allow the milk to be infused with the thyme and garlic. Strain milk and discard the thyme & garlic.

Begin layering the potatoes in a baking dish: 1 layer of potatoes , sprinkle a little salt and pepper over them and top with some of the gruyere cheese. Another layer of potatoes, salt, pepper and cheese, until you have about 4 layers. Top with the remaining gruyere and sprinkle with parmesan.

Pour the milk mixture over the potatoes until the pan is about 3/4 full and pat the potatoes down so they are almost submerged.

Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked and the cheese is browning on top.

Haricots Verts

You Will Need:

2 cups of water

1 pound French green beans , firm and small, ends trimmed

3 Tablespoons of butter

1 shallot , peeled and chopped

Salt to taste

White or black pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon of  lemon juice

Instructions:

Place beans in a large shallow pan and bring the 2 cups of water to a boil.

Add the green beans and cook for 5 minutes and still crisp. Drain the water and set beans aside.

Dry the pan and add butter to the pan over medium heat. Saute the shallots for about a minute then add the beans and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and a pour fresh lemon juice over top. Serve right away.

Earlier in the afternoon we went down to the garden and picked about 10 apples which I in turn made into apple sauce. It paired really well with the ham.

Even though this roast didn’t have Yorkshire puddings and Mashed Potatoes it still encompasses all the comforting feels of a sit down roast. We even had a little cocktail hour beforehand.

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Love,

Jennifer