Soft tender pork with crisp crackling is a treat enough, but contrast with sweet mash for extra indulgence
Ingredients
- 1 ½kg pork belly, skin scored
- 3 rosemary sprigs, leaves stripped
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt crystals
- 10 black peppercorns
- purple sprouting broccoli, steamed, to serve
For the mash
- 750g celeriac, cubed
- 1 large potato, cubed
- 2 ripe pears, peeled and cubed
- 3 tbsp double cream
- large knob of butter
Method
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Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Take the pork out of the fridge and pat the skin dry. Put the rosemary leaves, salt and pepper in a mini chopper and grind together (or do this with a mortar and pestle). Rub the rosemary salt all over the pork, making sure it gets into the cuts in the skin. Sit the pork in a large roasting tin, ideally on a rack, and roast for 30 mins.
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Reduce heat to 170C/150 fan/gas 3 and roast for 1½ hrs more. Turn oven back up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and roast for 20-30 mins to crisp. Leave to rest on a board for 10 mins before carving.
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When the pork is nearly ready to come out, put the celeriac and potato in a large pan of water, bring to the boil and cook for 10 mins until just tender. Add the pears and cook for 2 mins more. Drain well, then mash until smooth – a mouli or potato ricer does this job best. Beat in a splash of cream and some butter, and serve with the pork and broccoli.