Roast Rack of Pork with Beef Dripping Roast Potatoes & Cider Mustard Sauce

SERVES 6
TAKES 3 HOURS

A Springtime roast as we enter the warmer season. This impressive rack of pork is a perfect Easter showstopper, relatively easy to cook and takes the pressure off producing the various dishes, typically associated with a Sunday roast. You will be left with beautiful, golden crackling and juicy pork that your guests will find it very difficult to resist. We recommend serving this slightly blushing as the loin is a rather lean cut with very little fat marbling and so served a little pink is preferred, to keep the meat lovely and moist. If over cooked it does have a tendency to be a little dry but as they say, each to their own and so we have provided both cooking suggestions within the recipe.

1. Remove the pork rack from the fridge 2 hours before you want to cook, to allow to come to room temperature.
2. Pre heat the oven to 180C fan.
3. Rub the pork all over with a little salt, ensuring it gets pushed well into the score marks. Wrap a little foil over each French trimmed bone to protect when cooking. Place in the oven for 2 hours 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 63C. (This is for pork that is slightly blushing, if you want it cooked through more, leave in the oven for another 15 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached between 65-70C).
4. Whilst the pork is cooking, add the beef dripping to a baking tray and place in the oven, underneath the pork to heat up.
5. Place the prepped potatoes in a large saucepan and fill with water until the potatoes are submerged, season liberally with salt and bring to a rolling boil for 15 minutes then drain into a colander. Toss the hot par-boiled potatoes to rough them up, this will create a crispy coating when roasted. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.
6. Take the hot beef dripping out of the oven and using tongs, carefully place the cooled potatoes into the oil, go slowly so the oil doesn’t spit and burn you. Turn the potatoes so all sides are covered in the oil and place in the oven for 50 minutes.
7. Check the potatoes, turning again then place back in the oven for a further 15 minutes until lovely and golden. They should be perfectly roasted by this stage.
8. Once the pork is cooked and has reached the optimal internal temperature, turn the oven to grill and allow the skin to crisp up even more – keep an eye on this as it can catch rather quickly! Remove and leave to rest uncovered for 30 minutes before carving.
9. Whilst the pork is resting, you can make the sauce. In a pan pour in a teaspoon of oil and add the diced shallots, cook on a medium to low heat for 5 minutes then add in the grated garlic and cook for a further 10 minutes until the onions are soft and golden and the garlic is fragrant. Increase the heat to medium-high and pour in the cider. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the alcohol to cook off. Pour in the double cream and season with salt and pepper to taste at this stage. Bring to a low simmer for 5 minutes then turn off the heat, stir through the chopped chives and set aside. If the sauce is looking a little thick, add a splash of water to loosen.
10. Remove the crackling from the joint and carve the pork into generous slices, using the bones as a guide. Shatter the crackling into shards and serve the pork on a large platter, scatter with the crackling and dot the golden roasted potatoes all around. Serve with the mustard cider sauce on the side and a peppery watercress, rocket salad to cut through the rich flavours of the pork. Enjoy!

• 3 kg rack of pork loin, tied and scored (ask your butcher to prepare this)
• Salt, for seasoning
• 1 kg potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters (we used Maris Piper) depending on the size of your potatoes, if they a smaller, cut in half
• 2 tbsp beef dripping, or lard of choice
• Watercress or rocket leaves, for serving

For the Cider Mustard Sauce:
• Oil, for frying
• 2 banana shallots, peeled and finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
• 400ml dry cider
• 2 tbsp grain mustard
• 150ml double cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Handful of chives, finely chopped