ROLLED PORK ROAST RECIPES

Steps:

• Toast the spices in a dry frying pan for a couple of mins. Pound them together in a pestle and mortar with some flaked sea salt, the garlic and half the thyme to make a paste, then mix with 2 tbsp olive oil.
• Lay the pork on a board skin-side down. Rub the herb mix all over the flesh then scatter with the remaining whole thyme leaves. Neatly roll the meat into a joint surrounded by the skin then use butchers' string to tie the joint tightly at regular intervals to hold the joint together. Cover and chill, leaving to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
• When ready to cook, rub the skin of the joint with plenty of salt and 1 tbsp remaining olive oil. Put it on a wire rack and roast at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 30 mins. After this time, squeeze the lemons over the skin and turn the heat down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roast for a further 2 hrs. Finally turn the heat back up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and give it a final blast for another 30 mins or so, to finish the crisping of the skin. Allow to rest somewhere warm for 20 mins. Carve up into thick slices and serve with your favourite roast dinner accompaniments.

Steps:

• 1. This method of cooking pork stops it drying out and keeps it juicy and soft. You also end up with a wonderful rich sticky sauce!
  2. Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Heat an appropriately sized casserole-type pan, add a lug of olive oil and sweat the onions and garlic gently until soft. Roll the pork in the seasoning and thyme leaves. Push the onions to one side of the pan, add a knob of butter and brown the pork lightly all over.
  3. Stir the quartered figs into the onions, pour one glass of Marsala over the meat and drop in the rest of the butter. Tear a piece of greaseproof paper big enough to cover the pork comfortably, scrunch it up with your hands and run it under the cold tap. Unravel it and tuck it in the pot over the pork, figs and onions. This will help the pork steam as well as roast and keep it really moist and juicy.
  4. Place in the hot oven. After 20 minutes, lift off the paper, turn the pork in the juices and add the other glass of Marsala. Replace the paper and cook for 30 to 40 minutes more. Check the pork is cooked, remove to a plate and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
  5. While the meat is resting, finish the sauce by skimming any fat off the top, adding the chicken stock and simmering for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and add the crème fraîche if using. Slice the pork as thinly as you want and serve with the delicious sauce.