Suckling Pig Rack with Roasted Vegetable Gravy

  • Feeds 6 - 8 people
  • Prep time 1380m
  • Cook time 60m
Description

Suckling pig makes a stunning centrepiece, but if you don’t want to cook a whole animal, this rack is the perfect solution. You still get plenty of crisp crackling and the most tender meat. We like to roast the meat with vegetables, which can then be used as a flavour base for gravy to serve alongside. This would be fantastic with mashed, boiled or roast potatoes as part of a roast dinner, or serve with something lighter, like a fennel salad.

  1. The night before you want to eat, place a rack (e.g. a metal cooling rack) over the sink and place the pork on it, skin side up. Pour boiling water over the skin, then allow to dry. Place on the rack in the fridge overnight, uncovered.
  2. The next day, preheat the oven to 200C.
  3. In a roasting tray, combine the chopped fennel, carrot, onion, celery, garlic and rosemary. Place the pork on top and season well with sea salt.
  4. Roast for 15 minutes then turn down to 180C. Roast another 45 minutes.
  5. After this time, remove the pork from the oven and set aside (if the crackling is not quite crisp enough pop it under a very hot grill, watching very carefully, until bubbled and crisp).
  6. Remove the fennel and set it aside to keep warm. Drain the juices from the pan into a bowl through a sieve, pressing the vegetables down to extract as much flavour as possible. Set the pan over medium heat on the hob and deglaze with the white wine.
  7. Allow to bubble down for a few minutes, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the tray. Add the chicken stock and reduce it by half.
  8. Combine a little of the gravy with the cornflour to make a paste and add to the pan. Stir until smooth and thickened. Check the seasoning and serve with the roast pork and reserved fennel.

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