Slow-roast pork shoulder and chestnut polenta with apple and watercress salad
Slow-roast pork shoulder and chestnut polenta with apple and watercress saladThis is a proper centrepiece. A big, slow-roasted joint, crisp yet yielding from long cooking, will always turn heads. Polenta, when managed with generosity (plenty of good butter and cheese), lends wintery fortification, and the bright little salad of peppery watercress and tart apples gives required levity. So many delicious things all on one plate. It’s almost impossible to write this without making immediate plans to cook it. I should note that this is far too much food for four people but honestly I’d recommend going as big as you can for all the potential, brilliant leftover applications. Ask your butcher for something dry, with a decent layer of fat under the skin–both of these things will help to crackle the skin. If the pork feels wet to the touch, it’s best to dry the skin with a paper towel before leaving it uncovered in the fridge to dry overnight.
This recipe is an extract from Cooking for People by Mike Davies
If you like this recipe, why not try some of our other Roast Recipes from the House & Garden archive?
Slow-roast pork shoulder and chestnut polenta with apple and watercress salad
Ingredients
For the roast pork
For the polenta
For the salad
For the roast pork
Step 1
Preheat your oven to the highest temperature it will set to and season the pork shoulder evenly with salt.
Step 2
Put a layer of onion slices on the bottom of a roasting tin and place the pork on top. Roast in the middle of the oven for 12–15 minutes. If the skin is dry and has a decent layer of fat it will crackle up nicely in no time.
Step 3
When you’re happy with the level of crackling, turn the oven down to 120°C fan/140°C/275°F/gas mark 1 and pour the cider and stock into the bottom of the roasting tin. Roast the pork for a further 4 hours, or until you can push a skewer through the joint with little resistance. We want the fat inside the joint to render and cook the sinew so that we are left with luxurious softness hiding under a crisp crust.
Step 4
Take the pork out of the oven and leave it to rest. A long rest is a good idea here. In fact, if you want to rest the pork until it’s cold and then heat it up again to serve, it will work very nicely. Just remember to hold onto the jammy onions and juices left in the roasting tin.
Step 5
To make the most of the juices, add a little splash of water and put the roasting tin directly over a medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any sticky, roasted bits. Set aside until serving.
Step 6
If you’re serving this dish straight away, carve the pork into whatever size and shape pieces you like. Honestly, I feel like regularity in a situation like this undermines the potential for brilliantly diverse textures. Different ratios of fat, skin and meat make for interesting eating, and plating for that matter.I would recommend a serrated knife for carving through the skin. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the dish. In my opinion, meat that has been roasted in this way should not be served hot, rather just warm enough for the fat to be yielding.
For the polenta
Step 7
Bring the water to a rolling boil and add the polenta. Whisk until it starts to stiffen, then swap to a wooden spoon for ease. It should cook in just 2–3 minutes.
Step 8
Take the polenta off the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. It should be rich but not overly salty as the pork has a good deal of salinity of its own.
Step 9
It’s ready to go right away if you want to serve immediately. Alternatively, you can keep it in the fridge and reanimate it by adding a little water and breaking it up with a spoon before reincorporating.
For the salad
Step 10
First, make your vinaigrette by mixing the mustard, sherry and vinegar together with a sprinkling of caster sugar, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil. It’s important to think about the balance of flavours in the dressing–sweetness, heat, acidity and salt all need to jostle up against one another. Punchy is good. Toss the apples and watercress with the dressing and you’re ready to go. When you’re dressing a salad, think about each component being lightly coated, but no more.
To serve
Step 11
If you’re reheating the pork, preheat your oven to 160°C fan/180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Put your carved pork on a tray with a little of the roasting juices and cover with foil. Warm in the oven for 15 minutes while you bring everything else together.
Step 12
Warm the rest of the roasting juices in a saucepan.
Step 13
I like to plate the polenta and then put the carved pork on top, pouring over a little of the roasting juices and leaving some to serve at the table. Serve the salad in a separate bowl.
