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| Tucking in to a griddled gammon steak with bell peppers and fried egg |
Gammon steaks are cured steaks from the hind leg of a pig. They are perhaps most often simply shallow fried but griddled gammon steak recipes tend to be more imaginative as well as more attractive on a plate. Griddling is also a healthier way of cooking than frying, with the food cooked more quickly to retain vitamins and nutrients and the ridges on the pan allowing fats and oils to run off without drying out the food.
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| Parboiled potato wedges ready for the fridge |
Ingredients (Serves One)
- 2 medium baking potatoes, washed but not peeled
- 1/4 each of red, green and yellow bell peppers, seeded and sliced
- Pinch of chilli powder (optional)
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 gammon steak
- Vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- White pepper
- Chopped chives to garnish (optional)
Directions
Wash the potatoes and chop them in to wedges. Steep in cold water for about ten to fifteen minutes to rid them of the excess starch. Drain well and add to a pot of fresh cold water. Season with a little salt and bring the water to a simmer for ten to fifteen minutes or until the skin is just starting to part from the flesh at the wedge edges. Drain well and add in a single layer to a plastic dish. Let them steam off for about five minutes or so before adding to the fridge for half an hour. When you put the potato wedges in the fridge, take the gammon steak and the egg out so that they may reach room temperature before being griddled/fried.
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| Frying mixed bell pepper slices |
Add a little oil to a small, non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a fairly high heat before adding the sliced mixed peppers. Season with a little salt and some black pepper plus the chilli powder if using it and fry (stirring frequently with a wooden spoon) for seven or eight minutes until the peppers are softened and starting to char.
After about half this time, get your griddle pan on to reach a very high heat and the oil heating in your deep fat fryer or deep frying pan.
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| Brushing gammon steak with oil for grilling |
When you are cooking on a griddle pan like this, it is the food that should be oiled, rather than the pan. Use a pastry brush therefore to cover the gammon steak evenly on both sides with vegetable oil.
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| Starting to griddle gammon steak |
Lay the gammon steak away from you in to the red hot griddle pan. The cooking time will vary depending upon the thickness of the steak, this averagely sized one taking about two minutes each side. In order to check doneness, you can look at the steak from the side, or lift a corner only with cooking tongs to see how it's colouring up underneath.
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| Deep frying potato wedges |
The potato wedges should be added straight from the fridge to the hot oil and fried for about five minutes or until they are browned and crispy.
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| Gammon steak is griddled on both sides |
Turn the gammon steak using cooking tongs.
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| Egg for frying is seasoned in a small bowl |
Break the egg carefully in to a small bowl and season with a little salt and white pepper.
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| Griddled gammon steak |
Lift the griddled gammon steak to a serving plate with your cooking tongs.
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| Fried peppers are laid on griddled gammon steak |
Using tongs again, lift the peppers on to the top of the steak. Wipe the frying pan carefully clean with kitchen paper (leaving an oil residue) and carefully pour in the egg. Once the egg starts to set around the edges (after just about twenty seconds or so), reduce the heat to medium to low. Fry until the albumen is set all the way around the yolk then carefully turn the egg over to fry for about a minute on the second side.
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| Potato wedges are plated with gammon steak and peppers |
Drain the potato wedges on a plate covered with kitchen paper and plate alongside the gammon steak.
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| Fried egg is laid on gammon steak and peppers |
Lift the egg on to the peppers and garnish with the chopped chives, if desired.
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| Chopped chives garnish gammon steak, peppers and fried egg |
