Recipe adapted from Food & Wine
~from Savoring Time in the Kitchen
Serves 12
One 12-pound fresh ham roast from the leg, bone in
10 garlic cloves, halved
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Fresh arugula for garnish
Using a sharp knife, make incisions about 1 inch apart at least 1/2 inch deep all over the ham.
Using a spice grinder, chop and rosemary and fennel until finely ground. Pound the garlic to a paste and add the ground rosemary and fennel seeds, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and combine. Stir in the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
Push about 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic paste deep into each incision using a wooden skewer to push it deep into the incisions. Rub the remaining paste all over the ham. With the ham fat side up use a knife to score the fat 1/2 inch deep in a crosshatch pattern. Wrap the ham in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 300°. Place the ham in a roasting pan into which it fits snugly and bring to room temperature. Rub the ham with generous amounts of kosher salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 3 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and siphon the pan juices using a bulb baster if you have one and place in a small saucepan. Return the ham to the oven and roast for 3 hours longer, or until it is deeply browned and the meat is very tender.
Siphon or spoon any remaining pan juices and fat into the small saucepan. Skim off the fat and strain. Let the roast stand for 15 minutes. Heat the juices and reduce while the ham is resting. Carve the ham, serve on a bed of fresh arugula and serve with pan juices.