Slow cooker gammon on root vegetables with cider recipe

Mmmmmm, mmm, this was an easy way to tasty! Some people love scented candles. I prefer a house full of warming smells like gammon simmering slowly in apple juice with root vegetables. Besides those scented candles make me sneeze and give my husband a headache.

The smell of this just made him smile. And drool a bit!

You can cook this in a dry cider or in apple juice. I was going to use cider but the bottle fell off the top of the fridge and smashed so apple juice it was. Do note however that, unlike in traditional recipes, the alcohol from the cider doesn't evaporate in the slow cooker as it has nowhere to go. This may be a pro or a con to you but eat responsibly!

(Note for American readers - British cider is alcoholic and about 7% - we once quite innocently and unwittingly offered some British-style cider to some Southern Baptist guests who we assumed meant the same thing by "cider". They were remarkably "refreshed" by this strange British brew and didn't initially realise the mistake. Thankfully they had a sense of humour and forgave us for the cross-cultural mistake!)

Ingredients for 6: 

1 KG / 2lb gammon (or bacon) joint
3 large carrots, chopped into quarters
2 parsnips, peeled, cored and chopped into quarters where thickest and left whole where thinnest
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and quartered
1 red onion, peeled and quartered
300 ml / 1 1/4 cups dry cider or apple juice
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put all of the vegetables and the apple juice in the bottom of the slow cooker and season with pepper. I'd wait until the end to season with salt as plenty will run off the gammon.

Put the gammon on top of the veggies having removed any plastic sleeving but not the string if it has one. Rub the mustard and honey into the fat on the gammon and cook the whole lot on Low for 6-9 Hours. Stir the parsley into the vegetables if using.

Serve the meat cut into thick slices on a bed of the root vegetables, doused with the amazing cooking juices. We had this with buckwheat but it would be awesome with mashed potatoes or would pair with rice quite well.

Verdict:

I think it's clear from the intro that we really enjoyed this meal and the different veggies gave it plenty of interest. The meat was tender and fell apart. It made superb leftovers in sandwiches and with rice. Thanks to Katie Bishop of "Easy Slow Cooker Recipes" for the main parts of this recipe.