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Ham and gruyère wreath with sprout and cranberry salad

A delectable tear-and-share centerpiece, oozing with goodness, perfect for everyone to enjoy on Boxing Day, accompanied by a delightful festive salad.

Preparation time
less than 30 mins

Cooking time
10 to 30 mins

Serves
Serves 8–10

By Donal Skehan
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the wreath

  • plain flour, to dust
  • 400g/14oz pack ready-made all-butter puff pastry, chilled
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 100g/3½oz firm mozzarella in a block, coarsely grated
  • 200g/7oz gruyère, coarsely grated
  • 250g/9oz cooked smoked ham or Christmas ham, thinly sliced
  • large handful fresh chives, finely chopped
  • 1 large free-range egg, beaten
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

For the dressing

  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 2 tsp honey
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

  • 500g/1lb 2oz Brussels sprouts, roots and outer leaves trimmed
  • 125g/4½oz dried cranberries
  • 75g/2¾oz skinless toasted almonds, chopped
  • 50g/1¾oz Parmesan, shaved or grated

To serve

  • cranberry sauce or cranberry relish

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

  2. Dust a work surface lightly with flour, then use a rolling pin to roll out the block of pastry into a large rectangle measuring roughly 45x25cm/18x10in.

  3. With the long edge of the puff pastry closest to you, spread the Dijon mustard all over, leaving a 2cm/¾in gap along the long edge that is furthest away from you.

  4. Sprinkle over the mozzarella and gruyère cheeses. Season with black pepper before layering the ham over the cheese and finishing with the chopped chives.

  5. Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll the pastry up tightly, like a Swiss roll. Brush the beaten egg along the 2cm/¾in gap you left before you finish rolling, to seal the seam.

  6. Transfer the roll, seam side down, to the lined baking tray and use a sharp knife to make cuts through the roll, about 2cm/¾in apart, leaving the bottom layer of pastry intact so that all the rounds stay connected.

  7. Bring the two ends of the roll together to form a wreath and slightly twist each pastry wheel to reveal the roll. Brush the pastry with the remaining egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

  8. Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

  9. Meanwhile, to make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients until completely combined.

  10. To make the salad, use a food processor with a fine blade attachment to finely slice the Brussels sprouts, or finely slice them by hand using a sharp knife. Add the sliced Brussels sprouts to a large mixing bowl along with the dried cranberries, half the almonds and half the Parmesan.

  11. Add the dressing to the mixing bowl and toss gently to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle over the remaining almonds and Parmesan before serving.

  12. Once the wreath is baked, slide onto a large serving plate and put a small bowl of cranberry sauce or relish in the middle for dipping. Leave to cool for 10 minutes then serve alongside the salad.

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