Alastair Hendy's Pork Chop Roast with Apples, Sage and Cider Gravy

Name: Alastair Hendy's Pork Chop Roast with Apples, Sage and Cider Gravy
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 4 pork loin joint (850g); Sea Salt & Black Pepper; 3tsp fennel seeds lightly crushed; olive oil; 1 whole head of garlic; 4 small Cox's or other eating apples; 8 sprigs fresh sage; 500ml dry cider

Over a year ago 3,057 views

Cook: 80 mins

Serves: 4

British Main Course 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Food ❄️ Winter

Ingredients

Accompaniment

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Description

An even fruitier take on a traditional combo

Method

1
1. You need a French-trimmed loin of pork of 4 ribs (with bones) tied with string and with the skin scored in several places for crackling (the butcher can do this, supermarkets often sell a pre-packed joint as well. Alternatively, score the joint yourself with a sharp-pointed knife).
2. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/425F/gas 7. Sit the pork in a shallow roasting tin, skin side up. Season well with salt, and, using your fingertips, rub this into the slashed skin to help produce good crisp crackling. Next rub in some pepper and the fennel seeds, and smear the joint all over with a little oil. Roast for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, separate the garlic into unpeeled cloves. Peel the apples, leaving them whole.
3. After 30 minutes roasting, shift the joint to one end of the roasting tin and tuck the garlic and sage around and underneath. Sit the apples at the other end of the tin. Cover the apples loosely with foil, leaving the meat uncovered. Turn the oven down to 190C/170C fan/375F/gas 5 and continue roasting for 45 minutes. Remove the joint to a platter, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.
4. Tilt the roasting tin and spoon out the fat. Add half the cider to the apples, garlic and sage and simmer on the hob for 5 minutes, scraping up any gooey bits, turning the apples occasionally until sticky and lightly caramelised all over. Add the remaining cider and bubble for about 3 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Carve the joint into 4 chops, each with a bone attached, and serve with the apples, garlic and sage gravy.