Whole Roasted Pork Rack with Caramelised Apples and Mustard
This is such a good dish to cook for a crowd. The delight on people’s faces when a big roasted rack of pork with blistered, crackling skin hits the table is incredible. I also love how the roasted sweet apples and the mustard and crème fraîche become a perfect sweet and savoury sauce. The pork on its own is good, but with the sauce is divine.
Ingredients 7
1.25 kg pork rack, bone in, skin on
8 g sage leaves
10 g salt
5 sweet apples, cored and quartered
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp crème fraîche
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Method 10
To prepare the for roasting, score the skin in thin narrow lines from top to bottom. You want to cut through the fat, but not into the flesh. This will allow the fat to melt out and the skin to blister. If your kitchen knife isn’t super sharp, a small serrated knife makes this job easy.
Next, make your sage salt by crushing the and together in a mortar and pestle until you get something that is almost paste-like in consistency.
Rub the sage salt around the flesh of the , but not the skin. Crack black pepper on the meat as well, then sprinkle plain on the skin and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.
The next day, remove your from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).
Place the , skin side up, on a tray lined with baking paper. Roast for about 20 minutes, then add the to the tray and turn to coat them in a bit of the rendered pork fat.
Roast for another 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reads between 58–65°C (136–149°F). At this stage, place your roast under the grill (broiler) for a minute or two, but do not walk away from it. This last little blast of heat will make any last bit of skin blister and puff into crackling, but it can burn very easily.
Remove it from the oven and place on a chopping board. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes while you finish the sauce.
Remove the from the roasting tray and pour off the juices and fat into a small saucepan. Set over a medium heat and add the , and . Bring to a simmer, then check for seasoning and set aside.
Cut the in between the bones into chops. Serve one warm chop per person with a few wedges of . Finally, spoon a generous tablespoon of warm sauce on top of each chop and serve straight away. A little sprinkle of on top of the sliced meat is also a good idea.
Danielle Alvarez's tips
Look for pork that has a good fat content and good provenance. If you can find a piece that is not wrapped in plastic from a butcher, even better. It will mean the skin will have already been air-dried, which is the key to crispy crackling. If your pork does come wrapped in plastic, it must first be refrigerated, uncovered, for 1–2 days to air-dry.
I serve this roast medium, which means it is a little bit pink. If you buy high-quality pork, this is perfectly fine — and not just fine, but the ideal temperature to produce a juicy and tender slice.
