serves
8
prep
20 minutes
cook
2:30 hours
difficulty
Easy
serves
8
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
2:30
hours
difficulty
Easy
level
This version uses pork belly/shoulder stuffed with rosemary, sage and fennel seeds, then slow-roasted, sliced and stuffed into crusty rolls. The pork is cooked on a bed of sliced lemon-braised potatoes that become sticky and rich with the pork drippings. These are stuffed into the roll too along with a bright salsa verde.
These rolls are made for binge-watching a series; after back-to-back-eps you may found yourself hungry again and reaching for another roll.
This recipe is part of our paired with our brought to you by .
Ingredients
- 1 x 1.5 kg piece boned-out shoulder, skin on and butterflied (see Tips)
- ½ cup (packed) rosemary leaves (1 bunch)
- ½ cup (packed) sage leaves (1 bunch)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tsp coarsely ground black peppercorns
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes, extra, for rubbing
- 4 potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 7 mm thick rounds
- 3 pieces lemon rind, white pith removed
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- soft bread rolls
Salsa verde
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch mint, leaves picked, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Chilling time: 1 hour (or overnight)
Resting time: 20 minutes
Instructions
Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the pork at 5 mm intervals, making sure you cut all the way through the fat but not the flesh (you can ask your butcher to do this).
In a small food processor, combine the rosemary, sage, garlic, fennel seeds, chilli, black pepper and 1 tsp salt and process until a rough paste forms.
Spread the paste all over the flesh-side of the pork.
Bring the sides of the pork together to make a tight log and, using butcher’s twine, tie at 5 cm intervals to secure.
Rub the 2 tsp salt all over the skin of the pork. Place the pork on a wire rack over a tray and refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour (or overnight) to let the skin dry out.
The next day, remove the pork from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 130ºC fan-forced of 150ºC non fan-forced.
Arrange the potatoes in an even layer in the base of a large oven tray. Add the lemon rind, bay leaves and stock and season with salt and pepper (check how salty your stock is first).
Wipe off the salt and any moisture from the pork skin with a paper towel (see Tips). Place the pork on top of the potatoes and roast for 2 hours. Increase the heat to 230ºC fan-forced or 250ºC non fan-forced (if you have a combined grill-and-oven function, switch to this) and roast until the skin is crisp and has crackled (20-30 minutes).
Remove from the pork oven and rest for 20 minutes (there is no need to cover with foil). Return the tray of potatoes to the oven and continue roasting until beginning to crisp while the pork rests.
Meanwhile, make the salsa verde. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour into a serving bowl. It should be nicely acidic to help cut through the richness of the pork.
Carve the porchetta into 5 mm thick slices and arrange on a serving plate. Serve the potatoes, with a bit of the pan juices (they taste great spooned onto the roll so it goes a bit soggy), and salsa verde on the side. Allow guests to build their own rolls.
Tips
• It’s a good idea to pre-order the shoulder from a butcher who breaks down their own pigs, so you can get the ideal section of shoulder.
• The pork skin is not oiled as the slow roasting allows the fat under the skin to render and the skin will cook in its own fat.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
This version uses pork belly/shoulder stuffed with rosemary, sage and fennel seeds, then slow-roasted, sliced and stuffed into crusty rolls. The pork is cooked on a bed of sliced lemon-braised potatoes that become sticky and rich with the pork drippings. These are stuffed into the roll too along with a bright salsa verde.
These rolls are made for binge-watching a series; after back-to-back-eps you may found yourself hungry again and reaching for another roll.
This recipe is part of our paired with our brought to you by .
