Glistening in a spiced glaze and served on a bed of greens and citrus, this holiday ham is tailor-made for a special occasion meal.
1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
3 small garlic heads
1/2 cup honey, divided
1/2 cup Madeira
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
6 tablespoons water, divided
6 large bunches collard greens (about 3 3/4 pounds), stemmed and torn into 2-inch pieces
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 (9-pound) fully cooked bone-in smoked ham (such as smokehouse or city ham), brought to room temperature
2 medium leeks, halved and cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
3 small tangerines, halved crosswise
4 fresh bay leaves
Toast coriander seeds and peppercorns in a small skillet over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice mill, crush to a medium-coarse texture. Set aside.
Cut top quarter off garlic heads; discard tops. Heat 2 tablespoons honey in a small skillet over medium-low. Add garlic, cut sides down; cook, swirling skillet occasionally, until honey darkens to a mahogany color and garlic cloves have started to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer garlic heads to a plate using tongs, and set aside. Add Madeira, Cognac, 2 tablespoons water, reserved coriander mixture, and remaining 6 tablespoons honey to darkened honey in skillet. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until glaze thickens to a thin syrup, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Toss together collards and 3 tablespoons oil in a roasting pan until evenly coated. Pour remaining 1/4 cup water over collard greens. Score top of ham in a 1-inch-wide crosshatch pattern, and set ham in center of roasting pan on collard greens. Place garlic heads, cut side up, in roasting pan. Cover roasting pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of ham registers 90°F, about 1 hour.
Remove ham from oven, and remove foil. (Do not turn oven off.) Transfer ham to a baking sheet. Toss together leeks, tangerines, bay leaves, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add leek mixture to collard greens in roasting pan, and stir until well combined. Place ham on vegetable mixture, and brush with 1/4 cup glaze. Bake ham at 325°F, uncovered, 30 minutes. Brush ham with 2 tablespoons glaze, and stir wilted greens mixture to coat in pan juices; bake for 30 additional minutes. Brush ham with remaining 2 tablespoons glaze.
Increase oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking ham, turning vegetables occasionally, until collard greens are very tender, surface of ham caramelizes, and a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of ham registers 145°F, 45 minutes to 1 hour, loosely tenting with aluminum foil if ham begins to get too dark.
Remove from oven. Let ham rest, uncovered, 10 minutes. Carve across the grain into thin slices. Serve with collard greens mixture, pan juices, and roasted garlic.
