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Served with lashings of gravy and all the trimmings, this crackling-coated pork belly roast with its savoury filling will be the toast of your festive table!
Serves: 10
INGREDIENTS
• 2.5kg boneless pork belly, skin on
• salt & pepper
• 1kg fresh pork sausages with rosemary or sage (about 16)
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, veins removed & leaves blanched
• 15ml Dijon mustard
• 100g cranberries, soaked in sherry
• 100g pistachios, shelled & coarsely chopped
METHOD
- Using a sharp paring knife, score the pork skin about 1cm apart across the width of the meat (or ask your butcher to do this). Rub generously with salt.
- Butterfly the belly: Place the scored pork belly skin-side up on a clean surface. Cut horizontally through the middle without slicing all the way through, then fold the meat open.
- For the first stuffing layer: Arrange a layer of blanched spinach on one half of the meat. Remove the casings from half the sausages and spread the sausage meat evenly over the spinach. Fold the top half of the butterflied belly back over the filling.
- For the second stuffing layer: Lay 30cm lengths of kitchen string 2cm apart on a board. Place the stuffed belly skin-side down on top of the strings. Spread the surface with Dijon mustard and season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the casings from the remaining sausages and spread the sausage meat over the centre. Scatter with pistachios and cranberries.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C. Roll the belly up tightly around the filling and secure with the string. Weigh the roll to calculate cooking time: 25 minutes per 500g plus an extra 20 minutes.
- Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes at 220°C to crisp the skin, then reduce the oven to 180°C and roast for the calculated time. For extra crackling, finish under the grill, keeping a close eye so it doesn’t burn.
- Remove from the oven and rest for 15 minutes. Discard the string, slice thinly and serve with cranberry-spiked gravy, roast potatoes and steamed greens.