2020 Christmas Dinner: Mango Chutney Glazed Ham with Potato Fennel Gratin

 It's 2020, so it was a strange Christmas this year. Quieter than usual. But still filled with rituals around food - the Christmas eve cheese fondue and the Christmas morning puffy pancake. Hugh has been asking for ham for a while now. I'd never cooked a ham but we went with that for our Christmas dinner and it was wonderful! Served along with these amazing potatoes and Claire’s roasted Brussels sprouts. Both recipes come from Ina Garten online and appear in the original The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Definite keepers.

Mango Chutney Glazed Ham (serves at least 8)

1 (5-7 pound) fully cooked, boneless smoked half ham

3 garlic cloves

4 oz mango chutney

1/4 c dijon

1/2 c light brown sugar

zest of 1 orange

1/8 c freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 350.

Place the ham in a heavy roasting tin. Blend the remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Spread the glaze over the ham and bake for about 1 hour, until the ham is fully heated through and glaze is browned.

Potato Fennel Gratin (serves 4)

1 small fennel bulb, halved, cored, and thinly sliced

½ yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tbsp unsalted butter

1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1½ c plus 1 tbsp table cream (or 1 cup whipping cream mixed with 1/2 c low-fat milk)

1½ c grated gruyère cheese (about 250g)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Saute the fennel and the onion in olive oil and butter over low heat until soft. Mix together with the potatoes, 1 1/2 c cream, 1 c gruyere, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Spread into a buttered 9 x 9 inch pan. Mix the remaining gruyere with the remaining tbsp cream and spread over the potatoes. Bake for 1 hour until brown and bubbly. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Fromage Fort (aka what to do with all that leftover cheese)

I'll admit it. I overbuy cheese around Christmastime, imagining all of those cheese boards I'll put out when friends and family come around. Only to realize that we actually don't eat an entire extra meal of appetizers just because it's Christmas. (And this year there are no friends or family coming around, obviously.) I have now developed a habit of throwing the small end bits of cheese that get leftover into a freezer bag and freezing them until I want to make a Fromage Fort. This delightful spread I first encountered in Melissa Clark's newest book - Dinner in French. You just throw all the ingredients into a food processor and, viola, a tasty cheese spread that works well with crackers or crudités. You'll need to thaw the cheese first. Otherwise, good to go. And it's very forgiving, so use what you've got!

Fromage Fort

4 oz mixed cheese bits (I always try to use 2 oz of blue)

1/2 c grated old cheddar

1/2 c goat cheese or cream cheese (I usually use light cream cheese)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp white wine

1 clove garlic, finely grated

2 tbsp or so of add in(s) (chives, green onions, jalapeños, cilantro, red pepper jelly, etc)

Salt and pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients except the salt and pepper into a food processor and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.