Roasted Pork Loin with Crackling and Creamy Potato Bake
Prep time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients:
2kg pork loin roast, rind on
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
Potato Bake:
8 potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 onion, finely sliced
200ml cooking cream
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheese
To Serve:
400g heirloom carrots, steamed
Gravy
Steamed greens
Wholegrain mustard
Method:
Score the pork rind with a sharp knife or Stanley knife into thin even lines. Take note of roast weight.
If time allows, leave the scored roast uncovered in the fridge for 1 hour, or ideally overnight. This will help dry out the rind for bubbly crackling.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 240°C. Place the pork loin onto a wire rack in the sink and pour a jug of boiling water over the rind. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towel.
Rub oil and salt into the scored rind area, massaging well.
Place the roast on a wire rack into a shallow roasting pan and roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the rind is golden and crackling. (Do not open the oven door during this period).
Reduce oven temperature to 180°C for a further 30-35 minutes per kg, depending on how well you like your roast cooked.
While the pork is cooking, prepare the potato bake. Layer the potatoes and onions in a medium sized roasting dish. Whisk together the cooking cream, stock and salt and pepper. Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle the surface with grated cheese. Cook potatoes in the base of the oven with the pork for 40-50 minutes.
Remove pork from the oven and allow to rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes prior to slicing and serving.
Serve with potato bake, steamed vegetables, gravy and a dollop of wholegrain mustard.
Tips:
The dryer the rind, the better the crackle. To achieve great crackling, getting the oven temperature right is critical. We recommend using an oven thermometer to check the temperature.
It all started when Charles Harvey Stapleton 1st moved to Sutherland in 1880, building their house where Stapleton Avenue is today. Charles became the first and only butcher in the district, opening the first Stapleton’s butcher shop in 1896.