Pork loin with fennel, chilli and garlic roast potatoes

Ingredients List

  • pork loin on the bone 1.5kg, chined and skin scored by the butcher
  • fennel seeds 1 tsp
  • dried chillies 1/2 tsp, crushed
  • black peppercorns 1 tsp
  • garlic 2 cloves
  • lemon 1, zested
  • Maldon sea salt flakes
  • fennel 3 heads, trimmed and cut into wedges olive oil 1 tbsp
  • Maris Piper potatoes 1.5kg, peeled and cut into quarters butter 50g
  • olive oil 2 tbsp
  • garlic 2 cloves, crushed
  • parsley 1 tbsp, chopped
  • plain flour
  • Marsala or white wine 250ml chicken or vegetable stock fresh, made up to 600ml

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 190c/fan 170c/gas 5. score the skin of a 1.5 kg pork loin on the bone and put in a roasting tin. Using a pestle and mortar, pound 1 tsp fennel seeds, ½ tsp dried chillies, 1 tsp peppercorns, 2 cloves of garlic and the zest of a lemon and work the mixture into the slashes on the pork skin. Sprinkle with maldon salt.
  2. Roast the pork for one hour then arrange 3 heads of fennel, cut into wedges, around the pork and drizzle with olive oil. cook for a further 30 minutes. remove the fennel from the pork tin and keep warm. Transfer the pork to a clean tin, turn the oven up to high and return the pork to the oven for 10 minutes to crisp up the skin.
  3. Drain all but 1 tbsp fat from the pork roasting tin and put in on a low heat. add 1 tbsp plain flour and cook for 30 seconds. pour 250ml marsala into the tin and bring to the boil. Reduce by half and then add 600ml vegetable stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Season and serve with the pork and fennel.

Notes & thoughts

Careful when rubbing the mix into the fat, it can burn. Fennel is great!