Roast Leg of Pork

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C. Place the pork in a roasting tin, check that the skin is evenly scored, adding more using a very sharp knife, if needed.

Lightly rub or brush the skin with oil and sprinkle with a thin, even layer of salt and a little pepper. Rub the seasoning into the scored skin. Calculate the cooking time, 35 minutes per 500g, plus an extra 35 minutes. Roast for the calculated time.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Peel and cut the apples into quarters, place in a pan with 3 tbsp cold water. Bring to the boil then reduce to medium, cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, until the apples are soft and pulpy.

Remove from the heat, beat with a wooden spoon until the apples are smooth then spoon into a serving bowl.

Transfer the cooked pork onto a serving plate or board. Cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes, while the gravy is made. Drain off the oil and residue from the pan juices into a gravy separator. Place the roasting tin on the hob and deglaze with red wine. Scrape any residue from the bottom of the pan from the heat and pour into a saucepan. Add to a saucepan with the stock and bring to the boil. Mix cornflour with a little water to a paste and whisk into the simmering stock to thicken. Cook for 5 minutes, then taste and season if necessary.

Using a sharp carving knife remove the crackling from the joint and place on a board and cut into pieces. Then thinly slice the pork and serve each portion with some crackling, gravy and a generous spoonful of apple sauce.

Check out the recipe for sage and onion stuffing on this site and serve with this dish.