Bourbon-Glazed Holiday Ham with Garlic Herb Roasted Root Vegetables and Classic Potato Au Gratin

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Place the ham on a rack in a large roasting pan with the cut side down. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

While the ham is baking, prepare the bourbon glaze. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup bourbon, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, and 1/4 cup orange juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the root vegetables, peel and cut 4 medium carrots and 3 medium parsnips into 2-inch pieces. Quarter 1 large red onion. Peel and crush 6 garlic cloves. Place all vegetables in a large bowl.

Strip the leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary and 4 sprigs of thyme and chop finely. Add the herbs to the vegetables along with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

Spread the vegetables on a large baking sheet and set aside until ready to roast.

For the potato au gratin, peel 2 pounds of russet potatoes and slice them thinly (about 1/8 inch thick). Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons flour and whisk constantly for 1-2 minutes until smooth and bubbling but not browning.

Gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups whole milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Continue whisking until the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the grated Gruyère cheese until melted. Season with 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Arrange half of the sliced potatoes in the buttered baking dish, slightly overlapping them. Pour half of the cheese sauce over the potatoes. Arrange the remaining potatoes on top and pour the remaining cheese sauce over them. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Gruyère cheese on top.

Cover the dish with foil and set aside until ready to bake.

After the ham has baked for 1 hour, remove it from the oven and increase the temperature to 375°F (190°C).

Uncover the ham and score the surface in a diamond pattern. Insert whole cloves at the intersections of the cuts.

Brush 1/3 of the bourbon glaze over the ham, making sure to get it into the cuts. Return the ham to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 15 minutes.

Place the baking sheet with the root vegetables and the covered potato au gratin in the oven on lower racks.

After 15 minutes, brush the ham with another 1/3 of the glaze and stir the vegetables. Continue baking for 15 more minutes.

Remove the foil from the potato au gratin and brush the ham with the remaining glaze. Bake everything for a final 15 minutes, or until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 140°F (60°C), the vegetables are tender and caramelized, and the potato au gratin is golden and bubbling.

Remove everything from the oven and let the ham rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Serve the sliced ham with the roasted root vegetables and potato au gratin on the side.