Ingredients
- Serves 61.5kg boneless loin of pork
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the stuffing:200g cooking apples, peeled and diced
- 60 dried cherries, roughly chopped
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 4 sage leaves, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 40g panko breadcrumbs
- 50g butter, melted
- For the apple crisps:2 cooking apples
- 50g ground cinnamon
- For the apple jus:1kg cooking apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 50g butter
Sundays were made for this. Slow-roasted juicy pork filled with apple, cherries and sage that collect the fabulous flavours of the meat while roasting.
You could substitute dates for the cherries if you wish, or use fresh, flat-leaf parsley instead of fresh sage for a more peppery flavour.
Make sure to take the pork out of the fridge one hour before roasting to allow the meat to come to room temperature, which will make it more tender when cooked.
The apple crisps are so simple to make and they add a lovely texture to this dish.
Preheat the oven to 240 degrees/gas mark 9. Weigh the pork before starting and make a note of its weight.
Start by making the stuffing. In a large bowl, combine the apples, cherries, red onion, sage, breadcrumbs and melted butter. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Butterfly the pork loin by making a slit down its length, cutting just deep enough so that the loin opens up to lie flat like a book. Do not cut all the way through. Spoon the stuffing mixture onto the meat and spread evenly. Close up the loin and, using pieces of string, tie at even intervals so it assumes its original shape. Push in any stuffing that escapes from the ends.
Rub the joint all over with salt and pepper and place in a roasting tray. Cook for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180 degrees/gas mark 4 and cook for 20 minutes per 450g.
To make the apple crisps, core the apples and slice very thinly through the middle (aim for slices 1-2mm thick). Dust with the cinnamon and lay flat on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
Cook in a preheated oven at 180 degrees/gas mark 4 for 45 minutes to an hour (so if you are cooking the pork at the same time, add the apple slices to the oven soon after reducing the temperature to 180 degrees).
Turn the slices halfway through and remove any crisps that have turned brown. Continue cooking until the apples have dried out and are light golden.
For the apple jus, put the apples, sugar and butter in a saucepan. Cover and cook gently, stirring every so often, for 15-20 minutes, until the apples start to disintegrate. Once the pork is cooked, pour about 100ml of the pork cooking juices into the apples and stir.
Slice the pork and place on warm plates. Scatter a few apple crisps over the top and finish with a drizzle of the hot apple jus. Garnish with sage leaves and serve.
