Slow Roast Porchetta with Salsa Verde, Apple Sauce, Polenta Roasties, Honey Thyme Carrots & Stir-Fried Kale

Some days just feel like a roast day. And some days feel like slow cooked, crispy crackling kind of roast days. I’d never tried salsa verde with pork before but I’m now a total convert. The sharpness and acidity of the sauce cuts through the richness of the pork and works so well. It’s also compulsory to serve any kind of roast pork with apple sauce and roast potatoes.

Serves 4
1. For the pork (I used pork belly with the loin attached), score the fat really well and generously rub in sea salt flakes. Leave uncovered in the fridge overnight to dry out the skin.
2. For the stuffing, toast 100g pine nuts until golden and add 2 tbsp of fennel seeds until they smell fragrant. Mix with 3 crushed cloves of garlic, the zest of an orange and lemon, half a bunch of finely chopped thyme and rosemary, salt and pepper, 1 tsp chilli flakes and 50ml dry white wine. Rub this mixture all over the pork flesh, roll up the pork as tightly as you can and tie with pieces of string. Place on top of some more thyme, rosemary and roughly chopped onion, fennel, carrots and garlic cloves. Pour 200ml of white wine into the roasting tray and roast for 3.5 hours at 160C/140C fan. For the last 30 mins, increase the oven temperature to 220C to really crisp up the skin. Leave to rest for at least 20 mins before carving.
3. For the salsa verde, finely chop a bunch of basil, mint and parsley with a handful of capers, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 4 anchovies and a few gherkins. Slowly add 4 tbsp of EVOO until it reaches the desired consistency. Taste and season.
4. Make a jus by reducing the liquid from the vegetables in the pork roasting tray, adding 300ml chicken stock and more wine if needed. Simmer gently, strain and add a knob of butter just before serving.
5. Make an apple sauce by peeling and roughly chopping two Bramley apples. Add to a saucepan with a splash of water, 30g butter, 1tsp salt and a sprinkling of sugar until the apples have broken down.
6. Serve with polenta roast potatoes, honey thyme carrots and kale.