Ham with Parsley Sauce

My birthday was last Wednesday. No, it was not a particularly good one, being sandwiched between two bouts with out-of-town company, one quite lengthy and tedious (and we're not even going to go there). Essentially, I'm happy enough just to open my eyes every morning, and at my age, birthdays are just numbers, very large numbers, but numbers nonetheless. When I got up that morning I found a new cookbook in my spot at the breakfast table, The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook by Christine McFadden, et al. I must confess to having quite a liking for Irish cooking. Some of the best food that I consumed while traveling the British Isles was in Dublin, and pub grub is always a favorite. I found many recipes to try, but began with this simple one, not just because we happened to have everything on hand, but because I am always looking for a different type of sauce to use to top a grilled ham slice.

We both found this delicate parsley sauce to be quite pleasing. It complemented rather than overwhelmed the ham, and also served to nicely pair with the scallion potato cake that I'd made as an accompaniment. It is easy to prepare, and quite different from the run-of-the-mill mustard and raisin sauces that I generally make to serve with ham. Try it and see what you think.

Ham with Parsley Sauce

1-3/4 pounds fresh ham, cut into 4 ¾”–thick steaks

Vegetable oil, for brushing

Parsley Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¾ cup ham or chicken stock (I used ham)

1 cup whole milk

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Squeeze of lemon juice

½ teaspoon dry mustard

Salt and white pepper

First make the parsley sauce. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft but not colored.

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the flour. Return to the heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Reduce the heat to low, and whisk in the stock and milk. Keep whisking until the sauce starts to bubble. Stir in the parsley, then add the lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and a pinch of salt. Simmer gently, stirring often, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the rind, but not the fat, from the ham steaks. Slash the fat at ¾-inch intervals. Brush with oil on both sides.

Heat a ridged grill pan over high heat. Cook the steaks on one side for 5-6 minutes. Once they start to color on the underside, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium.

Turn and cook the other side for 5 minutes, covered.

Place the steaks on warm serving plates, pour the sauce over them and serve.

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