Pork belly and potato pot roast — a Honey & Co recipe

This is the time of year when we dust off the last remnants of the festive season: the bits of tinsel that cling to the carpet, the last of the cards from the mantelpiece, the new year’s resolutions already abandoned. Having said that, we’ve had a measure of success with some of our January pledges. The aim has been to streamline our lives and stride into the coming year with just a tiny bit less clutter on our minds. The trick is to aim really low, like our decision to phase out bluetooth earphones and go back to cable connected, which has awarded us the simple joy of having one less thing to charge.

This recipe is another good streamlining hack that made our post-festive gatherings easier and more delicious. More than just a dish, it is a complete meal in that it doesn’t need anything before or on the side (we take for granted that a good green salad and a pot of English mustard are part of your table setting, like crockery and cutlery). It is the entire thing in one convenient package, and that package can be a cast-iron pot, earthenware dish or deep tray (with a fitted lid) that goes straight from the oven to the centre of your table.

There is deep, glowing flavour here that comes from ancient but effective kitchen alchemy: the dry rub marinade intensifies the flavour of the meat and makes it incredibly succulent, and every drop of moisture that comes out as it roasts is readily, greedily absorbed by the vegetables underneath, like a supercharged Boulangère without the stock and the faff. The result is layers of taste for very little work. 

Pork belly and potato pot roast

serves four

For the salt rub

1. Mix all the salt rub ingredients together.

2. Score the under layer of fat on the pork belly in a criss-cross pattern. Massage the entire salt rub all over (it may seem like a lot, but this is the only seasoning for the whole dish), then wrap the meat well and place in the fridge overnight or for at least six hours.

3. The following day, heat your oven to 200C (fan assisted). In a large, oven-safe clay or heavy metal pot, layer the slices of sweet potato, potato and shallots alternately without any seasoning, then place the pork directly on top along with any salt or juices it produced while resting. Do not worry if it is slightly protruding over the top of the pot, but make sure it is contained on the sides as you want all the seasoning and fat to drip on to the vegetables below.

4. Place in the oven for an hour, then remove carefully. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 180C, and pour half a cup of water over the pork. Cover it with a sheet of greaseproof paper and a heavy lid that can press the whole thing down, then return to the oven for another hour.

5. Again remove, then reduce the oven temperature to 160C. Uncover the pot and tilt it a little to get the juices to the sides so you can baste the pork. If there is no liquid you can get to, add three tablespoons of water over the pork, recover and return to the oven for another hour. After this, remove the lid and paper, and roast for a final 10 minutes before serving.

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