Cola-glazed ham, creamy potato and egg salad, and pickled onion

1.For pickled red onion, combine onion and salt in a large bowl, cover and set aside at room temperature to soften (2 hours). Stir vinegar, sugar and spices in a saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves, then cool to room temperature. Drain onion in a colander, rinse under cold running water, then combine with vinegar mixture in a non-reactive container and refrigerate to pickle (overnight).

2.For creamy potato and egg salad, place potatoes in a saucepan with 1 tsp of salt, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until tender when pierced with a skewer or small knife (20-25 minutes). Drain and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, place eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil, cook for 5 minutes, then drain and cool under cold running water. For mayonnaise, whisk egg yolks, mustard and vinegar in a bowl until pale and frothy, then add oil in a thin steady stream, whisking continuously until thick and emulsified. Season to taste. Peel potatoes and cut into slim wedges. Peel eggs and cut each into 8 pieces. Combine potatoes, eggs, parsley and mayonnaise in a bowl, stir to combine and refrigerate until required.

3.Preheat oven to 180C. Place ham in a large roasting pan or casserole dish with cola and spices and roast for 2 hours, basting with cola every 20 minutes. Remove ham from pan and cover with foil. Transfer pan to stovetop, bring liquid to the boil and reduce to the consistency of maple syrup (25-30 minutes), then brush thickly over ham. Serve at room temperature with creamy potato and egg salad and pickled red onion.