Brown Sugar-Dijon Mustard, Garlic-Bread Crumb Crust Ham with Madeira Sauce

The only thing laborious about this showstopper is the time you have to wait until you can devour it.  As I sit here typing up the recipe my home is filled with the most amazing aroma - nothing compares to home and the reminder of the many hams my grandma used to make.  This ham is a take on the cooking method where you coat the meat in a bread crumb crust which gives it crunch.  Below the crumb crust is yet another crust all its' own of brown sugar and Dijon mustard which laid claim to the hams exterior an hour beforehand.  Drizzled with a delicious Madeira wine sauce, I'm simply moving on to making a version of croque madame using this ham and camembert cheese.  I baked this in a Lodge Deep Skillet since I knew I was going to need to reduce the cooking liquid after in order to create the sauce to drizzle over the ham.  You can easily use any kind of roasting pan that is safe to put on the stovetop.

1 9-10 lb. spiral-sliced ham
1 c. water
1 lb. brown sugar
1/2 c. Dijon mustard
1/3 c. olive oil
8 tbsp unsalted butter
4 c. Progresso Garlic & Herb bread crumbs
2 tsp. salt
2 c. Madeira - I use Rainwater Madeira (cook with what you drink)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter

Place ham with cut section down into the bottom of the pan.  Pour water over ham and then score the outside of the ham on the diagonal, criss-crossing and slightly into the meat.  This will cause the ham to lift apart during the first leg of cooking and create areas to then slather the brown sugar, mustard glaze.

Place into an oven that has been preheated to 300 degrees and cook for two hours.  While the ham is cooking, mix together the brown sugar and Dijon mustard with a fork until it becomes a thick paste.  In a pan over medium heat, melt the olive oil and butter, then add bread crumbs stirring regularly for five minutes.  Mixture should resemble graham cracker crumb crust consistency, add salt.  Remove from heat and stir for another 1-2 minutes until the pan has began to cool down.

Remove ham after two hours and using a silicone spatula in 2-3 tbsp-size scoops, apply half of the brown sugar-Dijon glaze making sure to get it into all the nooks and crannies.  Adjust oven temperature to 350 degrees, place ham back into oven and cook for another hour.

Remove ham again and adjust oven temperature up to 400 degrees.  Place a piece of parchment or wax paper over the platter you plan to serve the ham on.  Lift ham out of pan using lifting forks and place onto parchment-lined platter.  Pour roasting liquid into bowl and set aside.  Place ham back into pan and using your silicone spatula again, apply the other half of the glaze in the same manner.  Then using your hands, pack the breadcrumbs around the ham.   Place back into the oven and bake for 20 more minutes.  Remove from oven, and place ham on a platter to rest while you make the sauce.  Wipe pan clean with a paper towel to remove most of the crust debris.  Add reserved pan juices and Madeira wine to pan and bring to medium boil, cooking until sauce has reduce to roughly 2 cups, whick in butter to create sauce.  Serve sauce alongside ham.