Try this recipe for Mark Moriarty's comforting roast ham for Christmas Day dinner

The TV chef shares his comforting Christmas recipes here. Pictures: Cliodhna Prendergast

Mark Moriarty’s latest cookbook, Season, celebrates the best of seasonal ingredients while teaching you how to season your food for fantastic flavour.

A master of taste, the TV chef shares his comforting Christmas recipes here. Each easy to make dish features a festive staple with a twist, helping you create your own knock-out Christmas dinner traditions.

From Mark’s roast ham to two gorgeous gratins, let the oven do all the hard work this Christmas Day.

Roast Ham with Soy, Honey & Orange Glaze

This is Christmas ham without faffing about, slow roasted in the oven then glazed. The cornflour in the quick glaze helps it stick to your ham. The soy and orange combination is inspired.

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 4 hours 10 mins

Total Time

 4 hours 30 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 3.5-4kg bone-in, skin-on ham

• 100g brown sugar

• 100g honey

• 80ml soy sauce

• 1 heaped tbsp cornflour, mixed in an equal quantity of cold water

• 2 tbsp glacé cherries, chopped

• Zest of 1 orange

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

• ½ whole nutmeg, grated

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C.

2. Place the ham on a large baking tray and cover with a sheet of kitchen foil. Place in the oven and cook for 3 hours.

3. Once cooked, take the ham out and leave it to rest in a warm place for 1 hour.

4. Next, carefully peel off the skin, leaving the fat on the ham. I usually use the back of a spoon to peel it away and get in between the skin and fat layer. Place the ham back in the oven for 10 more minutes to dry out the fat and allow the glaze to stick.

5. To make the glaze, put the brown sugar, honey and soy sauce in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, stirring regularly. Whisk in the slaked cornflour until it has mixed through. Bring to the boil, stirring regularly with a whisk, until the glaze thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat.

6. Spoon or brush the glaze over the ham until it is evenly covered. Sprinkle the glacé cherries over the ham, followed by the orange zest, thyme leaves and grated nutmeg. Slice and serve.

Hasselback Potato & Parmesan Gratin

Here’s a new recipe for your potato repertoire! These tick a lot of boxes: rich and seasoned underneath, crispy and golden on top and all tied together with that cheesy seasoning. These are high on the comfort scale and you won’t go hungry anytime soon.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 8 large floury potatoes, such as Rooster

• 75g salted butter

• Thumb-sized chunk of Parmesan, grated

• 1 tbsp sea salt

• 1 tsp thyme leave

•  

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C.

2. Begin with your potatoes. There’s no need to peel them, just slice them into a bowl, approximately 2mm thick, using either a mandolin or a sharp knife.

3. Melt the butter and add this to the bowl along with the Parmesan and salt. Get your hands in and mix well, making sure the potatoes are covered in everything.

4. Use a small pan or an ovenproof dish to cook them in.

5. Take a little time to fan the potatoes around in a circle or in lines until the pan or dish is filled. The different-sized potato slices are key to creating varying heights in the gratin which will crisp up in the oven.

6. Cook for 45 minutes until the potatoes are soft throughout and crisp on top. Sprinkle with thyme and serve warm.

Sprout & Chorizo Gratin

A different way to cook sprouts, these have been a mainstay on my Christmas menus for years. If you want to increase the carbs, add some cooked macaroni before baking. Next level.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 500g Brussels sprouts, cleaned

• 100g breadcrumbs

• 50g Parmesan, grated

• 2 tbsp salted butter

• 100g chorizo, diced

• 4 tbsp plain flour

• 300ml full fat milk, warmed

• ½ chicken stockpot

• lemon juice

• 100g cavolo nero, chopped

• Sea salt

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.

2. Set up a chopping board and slice the sprouts in half. You can also mix your breadcrumbs and half the Parmesan together and have them ready in a bowl for later.

3. Place a cast-iron or heavy-based pan on a medium heat; ideally you’ll cook and serve the gratin in this. If you don’t have one, just use a large non-stick pan and have an ovenproof dish ready to transfer it into.

4. Add the butter and allow it to melt down, then go in with the chorizo and cook it until the butter turns bright red.

5. When you get to this stage, add the flour and cook it over a high heat for 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until it’s all bubbling.

6. Once it’s bubbling, whisk in the warm milk until you have a thick sauce; this will happen very quickly. Season with the stockpot, lemon juice, salt and the other half of the grated Parmesan.

7. At this point, add the raw sprouts and the chopped cavolo nero and mix it all together. It will get pretty clumped together; this is good.

8. If you’re cooking it in the same pan, top it at this point with the breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes until golden brown. Otherwise, transfer it to an ovenproof dish before topping and baking.

Recipes from Season by Mark Moriarty, published by Gill Books, out now.