Slow-Cooked Pork, Cider & Sage Hotpot
4 min read
Warm up as the cold nights set in with this glorious hotpot, with slow-cooked pork cooked in cider and sage. It's topped with a crispy layer of potatoes
Preparation Time: 40 Minutes
Cooking Time: 3 Hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
- 1kg diced pork shoulder
- 20g butter, cubed, plus a little extra
- 4 leeks, trimmed and thickly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 500ml dry cider
- 400ml chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ small bunch parsley, finely chopped
- Small bunch of sage, leaves picked
- 200ml single cream
- 400g Maris Piper or King Edwards potatoes
- 400g sweet potatoes
Method:
- Heat half of the oil in a deep ovenproof frying pan, or flameproof casserole dish, and fry the pork pieces over a medium high heat in batches until seared all over, then transfer to a plate. Add another 1 tbsp oil to the pan, if you need to, while you’re cooking the batches. Once all the pork is seared, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add another 1 tbsp oil to the pan with a little butter and fry half the leeks with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until tender. Add the garlic, fry for a minute, then stir in the flour.
- Pour in the cider, a little at a time, stirring to pick up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and to combine everything. Add the stock, bay leaves and seared pork, then simmer, half-covered with a lid for 1-1½ hrs until the meat is just tender (it will later cook to the point of falling apart in the oven). Can be prepared a day ahead.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Simmer uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the sauce, if you need to – it shouldn’t be too liquid or the potatoes will sink into the sauce. Stir in the parsley, chopped sage, remaining leeks, and the cream, then season well.
- Peel both types of potatoes and cut into slices 2mm thick, by hand or using a mandoline. Alternate layers of potato and sweet potato in circles over the pie, or randomly, if you prefer. Dot the cubed butter over the top and bake for 1-1½ hrs until the potato is tender. Nestle in the whole sage leaves, brushed in a little oil, for the last 10 mins. Leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.
Credit: Anna Glover