Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
over 2 hours
Serves
Serves 4
Recommended by
18 people
Meltingly tender pork shoulder, roasted slowly with apples to make an amazing sauce, served with cabbage and potatoes and crackling.
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
Score the skin of the pork into strips using a sharp knife. Squeeze the lemon juice over the skin, then rub with salt.
Place the pork, apples, butter and sugar in the base of a deep-sided roasting tray with 600ml/1pt1fl oz water. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for three hours.
Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and cook for another 1½ hours, or until very tender and the skin in very crisp.
For the mash, boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and place the potatoes back into the saucepan over the heat to remove excess moisture.
Place three-quarters of the butter and milk into a saucepan and heat until the butter is melted. Add to the mash and beat well until soft and creamy. Finally season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
For the cabbage with caraway seeds, heat a heavy-based frying pan until hot and add the remaining butter, caraway seeds and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the cabbage and 75ml/3fl oz water. Stir until the cabbage is just tender. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, using a spoon and fork, tear the meat from the pork shoulder and pile onto a plate. Spoon the mash and cabbage alongside and a large dollop of apple sauce taken from the roasting tin. Finally add a few pieces of crackling.
By Nigel Slater
See more roast pork recipes (52)
Saturday Kitchen
26/01/2013
BBC One