Slow Roast Pork with Rosemary Potatoes and Sprouting Broccoli

Method

Start cooking 61⁄2 hours before serving. Preheat the oven to 260°C, fan 240°C, gas 9, or as high as it will go. Find a roasting tin that will hold the pork belly snugly and line with foil. Use multiple sheets if you need to – it has to contain the liquid that the pork will sit in. Scatter in the onion, garlic and sage then pour in the stock and 300ml of the wine. Season both sides of the pork with salt, then sit it, skin-side up, in the liquid – the skin shouldn’t be immersed at all. Roast for 30 minutes to get the crackling going, then turn the oven down to 120°C, fan 100°C, gas 1⁄2 and cook for 5 hours. Every so often, as the pork shrinks, close the foil up around the meat – it should stay as submerged in the liquid as possible, with just the skin exposed.

While the pork is cooking, make the vinaigrette for the broccoli by mixing the mustard, vinegar and sugar together in a bowl with some seasoning. Slowly whisk in the oil until you have a thick, smooth dressing, then stir in the shallot. Season to taste, cover and set aside.

Roughly chop the potatoes then soak in a bowl of well-salted water for around an hour. Drain and pat dry on kitchen paper shortly before putting in the oven. Put the 5 tablespoons of oil into a large roasting tray.

Once the pork has had 5 hours, remove it from the oven, carefully drain off the liquid into a jug and leave to settle. Turn the oven up to 240°C, fan 220°C, gas 9 and put the tray of oil in to heat up for the potatoes. Close the foil back up around the meat as before. Add the potatoes, rosemary and seasoning to the hot oil and turn to coat. Put the pork back in the top of the oven with the potatoes underneath, and roast for 20 minutes or until the pork is completely crackled.

While the pork is crackling, discard as much fat as possible from the cooking juices then pour the juices into a pan. Put the cornflour in a small bowl, stir in some of the juices then pour back into the pan with the extra 50ml of wine. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring, until it lightly coats the back of a spoon. Set aside.

Once the pork is crackled, take it out of the oven, reduce the temperature to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6, turn the potatoes and put them back in at the top of the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and crisp. Carefully remove the pork to a board to rest for 20 minutes. Scoop the onions, garlic and sage from the tin into the sauce, stir and taste for seasoning.

Halve any thick stalks of broccoli lengthways and cut each stalk in two. Boil for 6-8 minutes, or until tender. Drain and toss with the vinaigrette, keep warm. Cut the pork into squares, reheat the sauce and serve the pork with the potatoes and broccoli, with the sauce on the side for people to help themselves.