Roast pork on a bed of cider-soaked potatoes
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Toby Scott
Roast pork on a bed of cider-soaked potatoes
The layers of potatoes, onions, smoky bacon, apple and prunes soak up the cooking juices and cider to give the most delicious accompaniment to this succulent slow-cooked pork. Simply serve with steamed greens
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
555Kcal
Fat
12gr
Saturates
4gr
Carbs
53gr
Sugars
12gr
Fibre
6gr
Protein
52gr
Salt
0.8gr
Angela Boggiano
Angela is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe developer who has worked in the industry for over 20 years. Testament to her Italian roots, she is always planning one meal ahead and good food is at the forefront of her mind.
See more of Angela Boggiano’s recipes
Angela Boggiano
Angela is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe developer who has worked in the industry for over 20 years. Testament to her Italian roots, she is always planning one meal ahead and good food is at the forefront of her mind.
See more of Angela Boggiano’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1.8kg potatoes, such as Maris Piper
- 3 Cox apples, cored and finely sliced
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 70g soft pitted prunes, chopped
- 4 rashers of smoked back bacon, chopped
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh sage (or 1 tbsp dried)
- a large boneless pork shoulder joint, about 1.7kg
- 500ml dry cider
- 300ml chicken stock - use gluten-free stock if required
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
- 6 bay leaves
Step by step
Get ahead
Prepare to the end of step 4 a couple of hours ahead; leave at room temperature .
- Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3. Brush the olive oil over the bottom of a deep roasting tin, measuring about 23cm x 30cm on the base.
- Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices, roughly 3mm thick. Lay a third of the potatoes in a single layer in the bottom of the tin, overlapping them slightly. Top with half each of the sliced apples and onions. Scatter over half of the prunes and smoked bacon. Season with a little salt and plenty of ground pepper. Scatter over a third of the sage.
- Top with another single layer of potatoes and then scatter over the remaining apple, onions, prunes and bacon. Season with a little salt and more ground black pepper and then scatter with a third of the chopped sage.
- Top with a final layer of potatoes and then sit the pork on top. Pour over the cider and chicken stock and then scatter on the rest of the sage, the rosemary and bay leaves along with a sprinkling of salt and ground black pepper. Cover with a tent of lightly greased foil, sealing it tightly to the edges of the tin.
- Place in the oven and roast slowly for 3 hours or until both pork and potatoes are tender. Remove the foil (and any bindings around the pork). Brush the herbs off the pork skin and increase the oven temperature to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Roast for a final 40 minutes until the pork crackling is crusty and golden and the top layer of potatoes are golden and crunchy and have absorbed most of the cooking juices. Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the crackling from the pork and cut into shards. Carve the pork, spoon on the roasting juices and serve with the cider-soaked potatoes and crackling.
