Ingredients
1kg piece unsmoked boneless gammon
1 litre ginger beer
5 cloves
5 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
4-6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky chips
3 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil
2 tbsp Caribbean spice mix, plus a pinch
1 tbsp treacle
½ lime, juiced
1 small pineapple
4-6 eggs
1 green chilli, sliced (optional)
Method
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Put the ham in a snug-fitting pan, pour over the ginger beer and add the cloves, peppercorns and bay. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 1 hr 15 mins. Leave the ham until cool enough to handle, then use a knife to remove the rind, leaving a layer of fat on the ham.
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Put the chips in a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 mins, then drain and leave to steam-dry in the colander. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the chips onto your largest baking tray, toss with the oil, a pinch of Caribbean spice mix and some salt. Spread the chips out to a single layer, if your tray is small, use two to make sure your chips have plenty of space around them so they get nice and crispy. Bake for 40 mins, turning them halfway through. Meanwhile, put the ham in a small baking dish lined with foil. Mix 2 tbsp Caribbean spice mix, the treacle and lime juice and paint all over the ham. Put in the oven alongside the chips for the final 20 mins of cooking.
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Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple, stand it upright on a chopping board and cut away all the peel from the sides too. Cut it in half through the core, then into long, thin wedges – you should get about 12. Cut out the woody core from each piece, brush with some oil and sprinkle with a little Caribbean spice mix.
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Heat a griddle pan and a frying pan with the remaining oil. Cook the pineapple in the griddle pan for 2-3 mins each side until charred. Crack the eggs into the hot oil in the frying pan and scatter with the sliced chilli, if using, and cook the eggs to your liking.
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Remove the ham and chips from the oven. Thickly slice the ham and serve it with the chips, eggs and pineapple.
