Salt & vinegar roast pork with potatoes

Roast pork isn’t complete without crackling, and the brine in this recipe helps make it extra crunchy, as well as delivering loads of flavour. One thing about pork is that you get what you pay for, and the better the meat, the better the crackling.

Serves 8-10 Prep 30 mins plus resting and overnight brining Cook 4 hrs 30 mins

3kg boned and rolled pork shoulder, skin scored

FOR THE BRINE

200g salt

100g caster sugar

300ml cider vinegar

3 tbsp dried sage

1 tsp dried thyme

FOR THE POTATOES

2kg Maris Piper or King Edward

potatoes, peeled and finely sliced

10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 3 onions, sliced

1 tbsp picked thyme leaves

500ml chicken stock

1 The day before roasting, mix the salt, sugar, vinegar, sage and thyme in a large mixing bowl, then roll the pork in the brine, cover and chill overnight, or for up to 24 hrs.

2 Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Tip the potatoes, garlic, onions and thyme into a large roasting tin and toss together with some cracked black pepper, then pack down with your hands and pour over the stock. Remove the pork from the fridge, pat dry with kitchen paper and sit it skin-side up in the middle of the potatoes. Roast for 4 hrs, pushing the potatoes down occasionally so they don’t burn.

3 If you’re happy with the crackling, leave to rest for 15 mins. If not, sit the pork on a shallow roasting tray and turn the oven up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and roast for 20 mins more or until the skin is crisp, then leave to rest for 10 mins. Check your potatoes – if they are swimming in pork juices, pour some off. Carve the pork and serve with the potatoes and rhubarb compote and veg of your choice (see recipes on p56).

PER SERVING (10) 696 kcals, fat 33g, saturates 11g, carbs 40g, sugars 9g, fibre 4g, protein 58g, salt 15.6g