Roasted shoulder of pork with apple sauce, cabbage and mash
Meltingly tender pork shoulder, roasted slowly with apples to make an amazing sauce, served with cabbage and potatoes and crackling.
Ingredients
For the roasted shoulder of pork with apple sauce
- 3.5kg/7lb 11oz boned pork shoulder
- 3 tbsp salt
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 3 Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped into large chunks
- 50g/2oz butter
- 2-4 tbsp caster sugar, to taste
For the mashed potatoes
- 2kg/4lb 2oz potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú butter
- 150ml/5fl oz milk
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cabbage with caraway seeds
- 50g/2oz butter
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 Hispi or pointed cabbage, shredded
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
Score the skin of the pork into strips using a sharp knife. Squeeze the lemon juice over the skin, then rub with salt.
Place the pork, apples, butter and sugar in the base of a deep-sided roasting tray with 600ml/1pt1fl oz water. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for three hours.
Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and cook for another 1½ hours, or until very tender and the skin in very crisp.
For the mash, boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and place the potatoes back into the saucepan over the heat to remove excess moisture.
Place three-quarters of the butter and milk into a saucepan and heat until the butter is melted. Add to the mash and beat well until soft and creamy. Finally season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
For the cabbage with caraway seeds, heat a heavy-based frying pan until hot and add the remaining butter, caraway seeds and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the cabbage and 75ml/3fl oz water. Stir until the cabbage is just tender. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, using a spoon and fork, tear the meat from the pork shoulder and pile onto a plate. Spoon the mash and cabbage alongside and a large dollop of apple sauce taken from the roasting tin. Finally add a few pieces of crackling.
