Crispy fennel-rolled roast pork with rhubarb sauce
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- plus at least 6 hrs 30 mins chilling and resting
- More effort
- Serves 8
Ingredients
- 2.5kg boneless pork loin, skin and fat on, butterflied (ask your butcher)
- 1½ tbsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 1½ tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
- 4 lemon thyme sprigs, leaves only
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- dauphinoise potatoes and green vegetables, to serve
For the sauce
- 300g forced rhubarb, cut into 4cm pieces
- 3 tbsp light brown soft sugar
- 1 orange, juiced
- 1 bay leaf
Method
- STEP 1
Lay the pork skin-side up and score the skin using a sharp knife in 2cm intervals. Turn over. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the fennel and coriander seeds, lemon thyme, garlic and ½ tbsp salt to a rough paste, then spread over the flesh-side of the pork. Roll the meat up tightly from the longest end, then tie together using butcher’s string in 1cm intervals. Rub the outside of the pork with 1 tbsp salt and chill overnight or for at least 6 hrs.
- STEP 2
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. Put the pork in a roasting tin, drizzle over the oil and roast for 30 mins. After this time, reduce the temperature to 190C/170C fan/gas 7 and cook for 1 hr 30 mins, then remove from the oven and rest, covered in foil, for 30 mins.
- STEP 3
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Tip the rhubarb, sugar, orange juice, bay and a pinch of salt into a pan. Simmer gently for 10-15 mins, or until the rhubarb has broken down with some chunkier bits.
- STEP 4
Slice the pork with a sharp serrated knife (a bread knife works well) and serve with the rhubarb sauce, dauphinoise potatoes, greens or purple sprouting broccoli.
