Smoked ham hocks

Name: Smoked ham hocks
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 x 800g higher-welfare smoked ham hocks, skin on, bone in; 3 large onions; 6 large carrots; 1.2kg potatoes; 2 fresh bay leaves; 4 sprigs of fresh thyme; 1 bunch of fresh curly or flat-leaf parsley (30g); 20g unsalted butter; 20g plain flour; 500ml semi-skimmed milk; 2 teaspoons English mustard

With parsley sauce

3 hrs

Not Too Tricky

serves 6

About the recipe

Smoked ham hocks can be picked up super cheaply and will feed three people, so they’re fantastic value. They’re also full of flavour and the bone and smoke add loads of extra depth. This is gorgeous dinner-time comfort food and really good on colder days. Brilliant served with simply steamed greens on the side.

nutrition per serving

Calories

28%

Fat

27%

Saturates

36%

Sugars

19%

Salt

73%

Protein

83%

Carbs

23%

Fibre

of an adult’s reference intake

Recipe From

Adapted from Save with Jamie

By Jamie Oliver

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Ingredients

2 x 800g higher-welfare smoked ham hocks, skin on, bone in

3 large onions

6 large carrots

1.2kg potatoes

2 fresh bay leaves

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bunch of fresh curly or flat-leaf parsley (30g)

20g unsalted butter

20g plain flour

500ml semi-skimmed milk

2 teaspoons English mustard

Top Tip

Use any leftover broth to make a super-quick pea and ham soup – cook peeled, diced potatoes in the broth, adding frozen peas for the last couple of minutes, then blitz and stir in any leftover shreds of ham.

Method

Place the ham hocks in a large, deep casserole pan, cover with cold water and place into the fridge overnight so the ham hocks can soak.
The next day, preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3. Drain the ham hocks and return them to the pan. Peel and roughly chop the onions and carrots, peel and halve the potatoes, and add to the pan with the bay leaves and the thyme. Just cover with cold water, put on a high heat and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, skimming away any scum from the surface.
Place a piece of wet greaseproof paper roughly the same size and shape as the pan on top of the hocks, then transfer to the oven for 2½ hours, or until tender.
Meanwhile, pick and roughly chop the parsley leaves and finely chop the stalks. Melt the butter in a pan on a medium heat, then stir in the flour to make a paste and cook for 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the milk, a splash at a time, stirring continuously until you have a white sauce. Stir in the mustard and all of the parsley stalks and most of the leaves, then season to perfection. Leave to bubble away gently for around 5 minutes, or until you have a drizzling consistency. Put to one side, and reheat when you need it.
When done, remove the ham hocks to a big platter. Arrange the veg around the edge, pour over the parsley sauce, scatter over the remaining parsley leaves and serve with seasonal greens. Take to the table and attack it, pushing the bones and skin to one side as you serve. Heaven.

Add a splash of the fragrant ham stock to the parsley sauce, before serving.
Once the ham hocks are cooked, why not bring the stock back up to the boil and cook the florets and the chopped-up stalks of a head of broccoli until tender. There’s nothing better!