Slow-cooked pork, cider & sage hotpot
BBC Good Food daily recipe to collect Warm up as the cold nights set in with this glorious hotpot, with slow-cooked pork cooked in cider and sage. It’s topped with a crispy layer of potatoes
4 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra 1kg diced pork shoulder 20g butter, cubed, plus a little extra 4 leeks, trimmed and thickly sliced 4 garlic cloves, crushed 3 tbsp plain flour 500ml dry cider 400ml chicken stock 2 bay leaves ½ small bunch parsley, finely chopped small bunch sage, leaves picked, 5 left whole, the rest chopped 200ml single cream
400g maris piper or King Edward potatoes
400g sweet potatoes
PREP: 40
MINS COOK: 3 HRS
SERVES 6
1
Heat half of the oil in a deep ovenproof frying pan, or flameproof casserole dish, and fry the pork pieces over a medium high heat in batches until seared all over, then transfer to a plate. Add another 1 tbsp oil to the pan, if you need to, while you’re cooking the batches. Once done, set the pork aside.
2
Add another 1 tbsp oil to the pan with a little butter and fry half the leeks with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until tender. Add the garlic, fry for a minute, then stir in the flour. 3
Pour in the cider, a little at a time, stirring to pick up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and to combine everything. Add the stock, bay leaves and seared pork, then simmer, half-covered with a lid for 1-1½ hrs until the meat is just tender (it will later cook to the point of falling apart in the oven). Can be prepared a day ahead.
4
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Simmer uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the sauce, if you need to – it shouldn’t be too liquid or the potatoes will sink into the sauce. Stir in the parsley, chopped sage, remaining leeks, and the cream, then season well.
5
Peel both types of potatoes and cut into slices 2mm thick, by hand or using a mandoline. Alternate layers of potato and sweet potato in circles over the pie, or randomly, if you prefer. Dot the cubed butter over the top and bake for 1-1½ hrs until the potato is tender. Nestle in the whole sage leaves, brushed in a little oil, for the last 10 mins. Leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.