We try to have a roast dinner on a Sunday and often it’s roast chicken, but when it’s not, it’s very likely to be roast pork with crackling – a favourite of mine and number one son’s. If it can be served with homemade apple sauce, so much the better!
Serves 4 | 1hr 30 mins start to finish
Ingredients
- 1.5kg piece of pork loin with fat on
- Sea salt flakes
Apple sauce
- 3-4 large bramley apples
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Method
- Start with the pork. Pre-heat the oven to 200c. Use kitchen roll to dry off the pork, especially the fat on top.
Moisture of any sort is the enemy of crackling, so make sure it’s as dry as possible. Score the top with half a dozen or so diagonal lines and then rub sea salt flakes all over the fat. - Place it in a small metal baking tray and cook for 20 mins on the high heat then turn down the temperature to 170c and roast for another hour.
- While it’s roasting, get on with making the apple sauce. Peel, core and chop the apples into 2cm cubes – not too small or it will make the sauce too mushy.
- Add to a pot with 2 tbsp water, 3tbsp sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Cook over a low heat for 15-20 mins or so until the apples start to break down. Turn off at this point, put a lid on the pot and leave the sauce to infuse while the pork finishes cooking.
- Once the pork is done, remove it from the oven and leave it to rest uncovered for 10-15 mins before you slice it.
- Serve the pork with the warm apple sauce and whatever accompaniments you choose – roast potatoes, carrots and broccoli usually get a fair run out in our house.
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