Honey Roast Ham, Egg & Chips
Tender honey roast ham, served with crispy triple cooked chips, a runny fried egg & grilled pineapple. It’s an easy homemade version of the pub classic!
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Ham, egg & chips is a classic British pub main course & it’s incredibly easy to make at home! Here, tender slices of honey roasted ham is served with crispy triple cooked chips, a perfectly cooked fried egg & grilled pineapple rings. We’re making every component ourselves but most of this prep is hands off & you can even cook the ham in advance & serve it cold if you’d prefer. It’s an ideal family dinner that’s perfect for an easy midweek meal.
The great thing about this dish is that whilst the ham simmers away on the stove, we can prep & blanch the chips. Then whilst the ham roasts in the oven, to glaze we can fry the eggs & chips and grill the pineapple. What I’m trying to say is that it’s really easy to time the each component perfectly everything comes together at the same time!
For more dinner recipes to try, take a look at our collection of main course recipes! There’s loads of really good dinners to make, from easy midweek meals to impressive weekend dinners. We’re talking roasted meats, grilled steaks, easy pasta dishes, fried chicken & lots more.
What You’ll Need
- Gammon Joint – You’ll need a 1.5kg gammon joint for this ham, egg & chips recipe. I’d recommend buying one from your local butcher! Your gammon should still have the skin on & it’s best if it’s been rolled & tied as it will have a more uniform shape when we go to carve it. Sometimes gammon needs to be soaked in cold water for a few hours to make it less salty but I’d recommend checking with your butcher if this is needed.
- Cider – I poached my gammon in cider but feel free to use cola or water instead. For extra flavour, we’re adding fresh veg, herbs & black peppercorns into the poaching liquid as well.
- Potatoes – We’re making our own triple cooked chips! For the crispiest chips, make sure to use a floury variety of potato like Maris Piper, Russets or King Edwards.
- Honey Glaze – We’re glazing our ham with a mixture of honey, brown sugar, pineapple juice & dijon mustard.
- Pineapple – For a classic ham, egg & chips garnish, we’re going to be serving ours with some tinned pineapple rings. For extra flavour, the pineapple rings are grilled (or pan fried) then glazed with some of the honey glaze.
Honey Roast Ham
We’re making our own honey roasted ham but feel free to buy some cooked slices instead (I’d go with 2 or 3 slices per portion). If you’d like to make your own honey roasted ham, don’t worry it’s incredibly easy to do, you’ll just a need a good quality joint of gammon.
A quick note on soaking gammon! Sometimes gammon needs to be soaked in cold water to remove some of the saltiness from the meat. To do this, place the gammon into a large container, completely cover with cold water then leave to soak overnight in the fridge, replacing the water every 6 hours or so. This isn’t always necessary though, so it’s best to check with your butcher if your gammon needs to be soaked.
Honey Roast Ham (Step By Step)
- Place the gammon into a large pan then add in cider, fresh veg, herbs & peppercorns. Add in enough cold water so that the gammon is completely covered then cover the pan with a lid & set over a medium-high heat & bring to a simmer.
- Turn the heat down slightly then gently simmer the gammon for 1½ – 2 hours, until it reaches an internal temperature of 71°c/160°f (you’ll need a digital food probe).
- Once cooked, remove the ham from the cooking liquid & place onto a metal rack that’s sat inside a foil lined roasting tray. Set to one side whilst you make the glaze.
- To make the glaze, add honey, brown sugar, pineapple juice & dijon mustard into a small bowl & stir to combine.
- Next, use a sharp knife to remove the skin (and any string) from the ham, leaving a good layer of fat on top. Lightly score the fat in a cross hatch pattern then brush with a generous amount of the glaze.
- Roast the ham for 30 minutes in an oven that’s been preheated 200°c/392°f, brushing more glaze on every 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, loosely cover the ham with foil then leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. Use this time to finish frying your chips, eggs & pineapple! The ham will reach an internal temperature of at least 75°c/167°f once roasted, which means that it’s fully cooked.
Triple Cooked Chips
A proper ham, egg & chips needs to be made with super crispy, well seasoned chunky chips! We’re making triple cooked chips, which you’ll need a deep fat fryer for but if you haven’t got one, I recommend making our duck fat oven chips! And for a more in depth look at making the crispiest triple cooked chips, check out our homemade chip recipe.
So the great thing about triple cooked chips, is that the first 2 cooks can be done well in advance, so you’ll just need to do the third & final cook just before plating up. If you’ve never made this style of chip before, the 3 cooks are; par boiling for a fluffy interior, blanching in oil to form a crust on the outside & a frying in oil to make crispy, golden chips.
The key thing with triple cooked chips is to chill them well between the first 2 cooks, as this gets rid of excess moisture, making them even crispier. It also means that they won’t overcook. Giving the raw chips a good soak in cold water before par boiling also removes some of the starch which improves crispiness as well!
Fried Eggs & Grilled Pineapple
The last 2 components of our ham, egg & chips are the fried eggs & the grilled pineapple rings. This is a classic pub garnish to serve alongside the ham & chips and we’re going to be grilling the tinned pineapple rings then glazing with some of honey glaze (from the ham) for more flavour & improved presentation. You could of course use fresh pineapple but I actually prefer the tinned stuff for this dish!
So it’s best to fry the eggs & grill the pineapple just before serving so that they’re still warm & the egg yolks are still runny! For the pineapple, it’s just a case of cooking them in a griddle pan (or frying pan) for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden then brushing on some of the honey & brown sugar glaze to caramelise.
A proper fried egg is just as easy to cook! I like mine to have crispy bottoms so I add a good layer of vegetable oil into a frying pan, heat up over a medium heat then crack an egg into a ramekin & carefully add into the hot oil. As the egg fries, we use a spoon to baste the top of the whites with hot oil, to cook through then season the yolk with sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper. If you’d prefer a less crisp fried egg, simply use less oil & cook over a slightly lower heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gammon is uncooked ham & ham is cooked gammon! They’re basically the same thing, you have to cook gammon to make ham.
For the ham, boil it for 10 minutes on the simmering plate then transfer to the simmering oven & cook for 1½ – 2 hours, until it reaches an internal temperature of 71°c/160°f. To glaze the ham, roast on the second from bottom set of runners in the roasting oven. Use the boiling plate to boil the chips, grill the pineapple & fry the eggs.
Yes, you can make homemade chips without a deep fat fryer. Instead, you could use a large pan of oil that has been heated up on the stove or you could cook your chips in the oven. I’d recommend making my duck fat oven chips if you haven’t got a deep fat fryer!
A floury variety of potato is best for making homemade chips, as they’ll get crispy & golden once fried. I like to use Maris Piper potatoes but Russets or King Edwards will work instead. Make sure to soak your chips in cold water for at least an hour before cooking them, to remove some of the starch which will make them crispier.
Yes, honey roast ham can be made ahead of time & can be served hot or cold. To serve honey roast ham hot, serve it straight away. To serve it cold, let the cooked ham cool then store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You’ll know when ham is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of at least 75°c/167°f. If you’re boiling then roasting your ham, it’s best to boil it a few degrees short of the final temperature, to avoid overcooking. I boil my hams to 71°c/160°f if they’re going to be roasted afterwards.
The stock that’s leftover from boiling a ham can be used to make soup, broths or gravy. It’s especially good for making a homemade pea & ham soup.
Equipment Used
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More Dinner Recipes To Try!
- Korean Style Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Beef Burritos
- Tikka Masala Roast Chicken
- Roasted Garlic Lasagne (Deep Dish)
- Leftover Roast Chicken Ramen
- Roast Chicken, Bacon & Mushroom Pies
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Honey Roast Ham, Egg & Chips
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Digital Food Probe
- Roasting Tin
- Deep Fat Fryer (See Notes)
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
Honey Roast Ham
- 1½ kg Gammon Joint (Soaked If Necessary – See Notes)
- 1 Litre Cider
- 2 Carrots (Roughly Chopped)
- 2 Celery Sticks (Roughly Chopped)
- 1 White Onion (Or Shallot – Roughly Chopped)
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 10 Black Peppercorns
- A Few Sprigs Of Thyme
Honey Glaze
- 75 g Honey
- 30 g Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Pineapple Juice (From A Tin Of Pineapple)
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
Triple Cooked Chips
- 2 kg Maris Piper Potatoes (See Notes)
- ½ tbsp White Wine Vinegar
To Serve
- 12 Tinned Pineapple Rings (Drained But Keep 1 tbsp Of The Juice)
- 6 Large Eggs
Instructions
- First, take the potatoes for the chips then peel them & cut into thick chips, around 2cm wide. Place the chips into a large saucepan, give them a good rinse under cold water then fill the pan back up & leave to soak for at least an hour.Rinse the chips until the water runs clear! It's best to soak them for at least an hour as this makes them extra crispy.
Honey Roast Ham
- Place the gammon into a large saucepan then add in the cider, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns & fresh thyme. Don't worry about peeling the veg but make sure that they're clean.
- Add enough cold water into the pan so that the gammon is completely covered then cover the pan with a lid, set over a medium-high heat & bring to a simmer.
- Turn the heat down slightly then gently simmer the gammon for 1½ – 2 hours, until it reaches an internal temperature of 71°c/160°f. Make sure to keep the liquid at a gentle simmer at all times – don't let it boil! I'd recommend checking the internal temperature of the gammon at frequent intervals after around an hour. The gammon needs to be just cooked once poached, as it will finish off in the oven.
- When your ham is almost ready, preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f).
- Remove the ham from the cooking liquid & place onto a metal rack that’s sat inside a foil lined roasting tray. Set to one side whilst you make the glaze.
Triple Cooked Chips – Prep Whilst The Gammon Is Cooking
- Whilst the ham is cooking, start cooking the chips! First, cover the chips with fresh water then add in the vinegar & set the pan over a medium-high heat. Cover with a lid & bring to a simmer.
- Cook the chips in simmering water until the outsides are starting to soften but they're not cooked all the way through. This will roughly take 8-10 minutes & the chips should still hold their shape once par cooked.
- Once blanched, drain the chips well through a colander then place onto a baking tray lined with kitchen roll. Leave to cool to room temperature then place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.Make sure the chips are in a single layer on the tray.
- Next, heat a deep fat fryer to 130⁰c/265°f. Once up to temperature, fry the chips for 6-8 minutes, until a crust has formed but the chips haven't taken on any colour. You might need to fry the chips in batches, depending on the size of your fryer.
- Once cooked, transfer the chips to a tray lined with kitchen paper, leave to cool then chill in the fridge until the ham is done.
Glazing The Ham
- To make the glaze, add the honey, brown sugar, pineapple juice & dijon mustard into a small mixing bowl then stir to combine.
- Next, use a sharp knife to remove the skin (and any string) from the ham, leaving a good layer of fat on top. Lightly score the fat in a cross hatch pattern then brush with a generous amount of the glaze.
- Place the ham into the preheated oven then roast for 30 minutes, brushing on more glaze every 10 minutes. Once cooked the ham should be well caramelised!You'll need to keep a small amount of the glaze for the pineapple.
- Whilst your ham is roasting, preheat your deep fat fryer to 180°c/356°f ready to fry the chips.
- Once your ham is cooked, cover it loosely with foil then leave to rest whilst you cook the chips, eggs & pineapple.
Chips, Eggs & Pineapple
- Set a large griddle pan (or frying pan) over a medium heat, leave to heat up for a couple of minutes then add in the pineapple rings. Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown then flip over & brush with a light layer of the leftover glaze. Cook for another 1-2 minutes then flip over again & brush the other side with more glaze. Cook for another minute then transfer to a plate.You might need to do this in batches!
- Next, place the chips into the preheated deep fat fryer then cook for 5-6 minutes until golden brown & crispy. Once cooked, leave to drain for a minute, transfer to a metal mixing bowl then season well with salt.
- In the meantime, place another large frying pan over a medium heat, add in enough vegetable oil to completely cover the bottom then leave to heat up for a couple of minutes.
- Crack an egg into a ramekin then carefully tip into the hot oil. Repeat this process with another egg (or 2), depending on how much space there is in your pan – don't overcrowd it!
- Fry the eggs, using a spoon to baste them with the hot oil, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. This will only take a couple of minutes. Season the yolks with sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper then use a spatula to lift them out of the pan once cooked. Repeat the cooking process with the rest of the eggs.I like my fried eggs to have crispy whites but if you'd prefer, cook them at a lower temperature, to make them not crispy.
Plating Up
- Use a sharp knife to slice the ham then divide the slices between 6 plates.
- Top each portion of ham with a fried egg & 2 grilled pineapple rings then divide the chips between each plate.
