At what temperature should I cook roast pork?

We recommend preheating the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas mark 3 and cooking your roast pork until it reaches about 70°C.

What to serve with roast pork?

Sautéed vegetables make a good side for roast pork. In this recipe, we use white beans, green asparagus, and spring onions to create a flavourful combination of textures to complement the meat. We sauté the vegetables in butter to enhance their flavours and add a rich foundation. Fresh basil leaves complete the meal.

What vegetables go well with pork?

In this recipe, we use asparagus, white beans, and spring onions, but you can serve most vegetables with pork and get a delicious result. So, choose your favourite vegetables or those in season to create a hearty meal.

What to do with leftover pork roast?

To store your roast, wrap any leftovers tightly or keep them in an airtight container. They can last in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat in the oven or microwave or implement the leftovers in a new dish, such as fried rice, pork stroganoff, or wraps.

Roast of pork

4 hours cooking time

Prepare to delight your taste buds with this exquisite recipe. The star of the show is the pork roast, stuffed with sweet apricots, aromatic herbs, and rich butter. And of course, with an irresistible crispy crackling. This unmissable Easter production co-stars vegetables sautéed in butter, which add equal amounts of richness and freshness. So, take to the stage, strap on your apron and let’s get cooking!

Roast of pork

1 hour preparation time
4 hours cooking time

Method

Beans

Soak beans overnight in cold water.

Roast and stuffing

Cut the apricots into small cubes and chop the herbs. Place in a mixing bowl with the onions, garlic, and black pepper and mix well with butter.

Score the skin on the pork belly into stripes ½ cm apart, making sure not to cut into the meat (you can also ask the butcher to do this for you as it is important to have a sharp knife). Place the pork belly on a big chopping board, skin facing down and meat facing up, and spread the butter mixture evenly onto the surface. Roll it up tightly and tie it up with butcher's string to hold it together.

Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas mark 3.

Place the pork on a wire rack set over an oven tray and sprinkle with salt on the scored skin.

Pour 500ml water into the tray, place the tray in the middle of the oven, and roast for 3½ to 4 hours. Check at intervals; if the water evaporates, add a little more. The pork should be around 70°C inside, check with a meat thermometer, and leave to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Vegetable mix

Boil beans in water for 45 minutes or until tender. When done, drain in a colander and set aside for later.

While the pork roast is resting, cut asparagus and spring onion into 3-4-centimetre pieces. Just before serving the pork, sauté asparagus and spring onions in butter in a big frying pan for 4-5 minutes. Add white beans and let it simmer for another 4-5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, turn off the heat, and add basil leaves.

Carve the pork and serve with the vegetable mix.

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Make a tender and flavourful roast of pork

Exceed every Easter expectation with a flavourful roast of pork with a perfectly crispy crackling. As it cooks, the meat soaks up the aromatic stuffing, infusing every bite with herbal notes and buttery undertones. The result is a tender roast bursting with flavour that will leave everyone calling for encores.

Add a delicious stuffing with apricots and herbs

"The tender pork is roasted with a delicious stuffing, enhancing the tenderness and flavour of the meat. Dried apricots add sweetness and a slight tang, while providing a chewy and fruity texture, making it a wonderful pairing to the pork. Onion and garlic bring a pungent and savoury flavour to the stuffing and enhance the overall depth, while the aromatic herbs provide earthy notes. Sage has a strong, slightly peppery flavour, while thyme is more floral. They go well together and complement the rest of the ingredients.

To complete the stuffing, everything is mixed with slightly salted butter. The butter not only binds the stuffing together but also adds richness and contributes a creamy, fatty element that complements the lean pork"

Serve with sautéed vegetables

"Thanks to their different textures and flavours, sautéed vegetables make a good accompaniment to a pork roast. White beans provide a hearty and creamy texture. They have a mild flavour that doesn’t overpower the pork. Asparagus and spring onions are both crisp elements that also add colour. Green asparagus develop a nutty flavour when sautéed in butter, and spring onions will provide sweetness and a subtle oniony flavour. Sautéing in butter leaves you with a rich and creamy base and creates a flavourful caramelisation of the asparagus and spring onions. The butter enhances the overall flavour and makes the dish more indulgent. Adding basil leaves at the end gives the dish a burst of fresh and aromatic flavours and a touch of brightness.

When the main course has been enjoyed, why not complete the evening with a delicious Easter dessert? For example, this lovely Easter pavlova with lemon curd.

Put your mark on it with small adjustments

"Small changes can make a big difference, so why not put your mark on this dish with a few minor adjustments? For example, consider adding zest of a lemon or an orange to the stuffing. It will provide a refreshing and zesty contrast to the richness of the pork and the apricots. Or try experimenting with capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and rosemary to tailor the stuffing to your liking.

You can also make a delicious pan sauce to pour over the pork when you serve it. Deglaze the oven tray with broth and reduce it to get a flavourful pan sauce. Season to your taste and enjoy an extra depth of flavour.

The side of sautéed vegetables also leaves room for personal touches. Replace one or all of the vegetables in the recipe with your favourites or whatever leftovers you have in your kitchen. Try, for example, cubed carrot or parsnip for a crunchy counterpart to the soft and tender pork. Or try red onion instead of spring onion. They will not give you the same freshness, but they are sweeter and have a beautiful colour. If you do not have basil, flat-leaf parsley makes for a great alternative. You can also try this recipe for oven-roasted vegetables with garlic and thyme.

COOK, BAKE AND SPREAD WITH

Lurpak® Slightly Salted Butter

With Lurpak® by your side you’re always ready to cook, bake and fry up wonders, cook. With its delicate taste, Lurpak® Slightly Salted Butter enhances the flavour of whatever food you add it to. From a hearty pasta dish, your showstopper fruit pie, to some simple rustic crushed potatoes, its subtle notes complement every creation you rustle up in the kitchen. For people who love Good Food, Lurpak® makes it even better. Now sleeves up. Today we cook bold.

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