Roast pork with apple sauce

SERVES 6 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 25 MINUTES

Pork rind will crackle better if you leave it unwrapped in the refrigerator overnight.

6-point (1.6kg) rack of pork, rind scored (ask butcher to score rind) 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon coarse cooking salt 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed

APPLE SAUCE

3 large (600g) Granny Smith apples ½ cup (125ml) water 20g butter 1 teaspoon caster sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Preheat oven to 250°C (230°C fan-forced). 2 Pat the pork dry with paper towel. Place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan. Rub the rind with oil, then with combined salt and crushed fennel seeds. 3 Roast pork for 25 minutes or until the skin has blistered thoroughly. This will create smoke in the oven, but will give the best result. 4 Reduce oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced); roast for a further 50-60 minutes or until the pork is just cooked (see the panel, right). To test, insert a meat thermometer into a middle section of the meat; it is cooked when it reaches 62°C. Or insert a metal skewer sideways into the thickest part; the juices should run clear. 5 APPLE SAUCE Meanwhile, peel and core apples. Cut apples into quarters, then into thick slices. Place apples, the water and butter in a medium saucepan; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until apple is soft enough to crush with a spoon. Stir in sugar and cinnamon; season. 6 Serve pork with Apple Sauce and roasted carrots. Sauce suitable to freeze and microwave.