Slow roast pork & wholegrain mustard mash

Sunday lunch is a time to indulge yourself. Gather up your friends and family, catch up on all the news, and enjoy a sumptuous roast. For years I wondered how to roast pork so that the crackling came out just right. The secret is slow cooking, proving that all good things including the perfect crackling, come to those who wait.

Information

• Makes: 2 or 3 helpings
• Time: 3 hours 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Measurement converter

• 1kg pork belly
• 2 large sized baking potatoes
• 2tsp wholegrain mustard
• Butter
• Sea salt

Method

1. Tear a piece of kitchen foil roughly 15cm larger in every direction than the piece of pork.
2. Remove the pork from its packaging and pat it dry.
3. Peel and wash the potatoes, cut them into medium sized chunks, and place in a pan of cold water.
4. Heat the oven to 150c.
5. Deeply score the skin of the pork belly at roughly 1.5cm intervals, and rub a generous amount of salt into the skin.
6. Place the pork skin side up on the foil, and pull up the sides of the foil so that it forms a close fitting cradle around the meat, leaving only the skin exposed.
7. Place the foil wrapped pork into a heavy based roasting pan, put it into the oven, and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes.
8. Raise the temperature to 220c, and cook the pork for a further 30 minutes.
9. Reduce the temperature to 150c, and cook the pork for a final 1 hour.
10. Whilst the last 30 minutes are counting down, bring the potatoes to a boil, and cook for around 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft to prod with a fork.
11. Drain the potatoes, mash them vigorously, then mix in the wholegrain mustard and a generous knob of butter.
12. Take the pork out of the oven, remove the foil and carve into rough slices.
13. Serve with plenty of fresh vegetables and home made gravy.