There were no porky pies in sight on Monday of this week, when Chef with The Olde Post Inn in Cavan Gearoid Lynch joined Joe Finnegan in studio.
Topic of the week this week, is the much underrated Pork! Crackling good!
RECIPE
Pork shoulder with croquette potatoes
Shoulder of Pork is an underutilised joint. Once prepared correctly and cooked for the appropriate length of time it is tender and the crackling is amazing.
Serves 6-8
4 kilo, shoulder of Pork, boned and rolled
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp paprika
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ chilli, red, chopped
1 tsp. sage, fresh, chopped
1 tsp rock salt
1 tsp thyme, fresh chopped
1 tsp black onion seed
30ml white wine vinegar
For croquettes
700g dry mashed cooked potato
100g bacon rashers, cut into dice
3 egg yolks
6 scallions, finely chopped
1 tsp sage, fresh, chopped
1 tsp thyme, fresh, chopped
1 apple, peeled, finely diced
3 egg yolks
200ml milk
100g gf flour
500g gf breadcrumbs
Pre heat oven 220◦C/425◦F/gas 7.
Mix all the ingredients for the preparation of the pork in a bowl.
Rub the mixture into the pork shoulder and massage for 5 minutes, this can also be done the night before, place the pork on to a wire rack in a roasting tray and put into the pre heated oven for 40 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 150◦C, 300◦F gas 2 and roast for 2 ½ hours.
To achieve good crackling, turn the oven back up to 220◦C/425◦F/gas 7 for a further 30 minutes, using a pastry brush, add the white wine vinegar to the skin.
To prepare the croquettes, in a large sauce pan melt the butter and add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes without colour, add the scallions, thyme, sage, and apple and cook for a further 2 minutes. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled add the cooked dry mashed potatoes and egg and mix until combined.
Dive the mixture into 8 x100g cylinders and place into the gf flour and coat well, mix the eggs and milk together in a bowl and dip the cylinders into the egg mixture and remove and place into the bread crumbs, tap of any excess crumbs.
In a deep fat fryer or large frying pan with vegetable oil, fry the croquettes until golden brown and finish cooking in the oven for 5 minutes at 190◦C/375◦F/Gas 5.
The pork once cooked, should be cooked all the way through and the skin will be crisp and golden brown. To serve remove the crackling, literally by pulling away from the meat, break the crackling up into pieces. Using a carving knife slice the pork into 1 cm slices.
Serve with an apple and calvados sauce.