Christmas main: Rolled pork loin with apple & thyme

Recipe Kerrie Worner Photography Cath Muscat

OMG! Who doesn’t love pork crackling??? There’s nothing quite as satisfying as that salty crunch. In my house, pork with the crackling is a must-have on the Christmas table, and it’s a bit of a family tradition. My biggest problem? Leaving room for dessert!

ROLLED PORK LOIN WITH APPLE & THYME
Serves 8-10

Ingredients
3kg pork loin with rind, untied

Ground sea salt

2 tbsp olive oil

Roast new potatoes, to serve

Stuffing

3 small pink lady apples (400g)

75g butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp chopped thyme

Salt & cracked black pepper

Gravy

¼ cup plain flour

2 cups chicken stock

2 tsp soy sauce

Method

1  Place pork, rind-side down, on a clean surface. Trim any excess fat from underside. Cut a 2cm cavity between fat and fillet. Turn pork over and score rind at 2cm intervals or into a diamond pattern with the tip of a very sharp knife. Place pork, rind-side up on a tray. Sprinkle with salt and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight.

2 Pat moisture off the rind with paper towel.

3 To make stuffing, cut apples onto eighths, remove core, leave skin on. Heat half the butter in a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until onion is soft. Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining butter to same hot pan. Add apple wedges. Cook for 5-7 minutes until beginning to soften and colour. Stir through thyme. Add to apples in bowl, season well and stir until combined.

4 Preheat oven to 230C. Place pork rind-side down on a clean surface. Place apple mixture along cavity. Roll up firmly. Secure with kitchen string tied at regular intervals. Rub oil over pork. Grind salt all over rind.

5  Place in a large roasting dish and roast for 30 minutes or until rind becomes golden and has crackled. Reduce temperature to 180C and roast for a further 1 hour and 30 minutes or until juices run clear when pierced with the tip of a knife. Transfer to a platter, cover with foil and rest for 20 minutes.

6 Meanwhile, to make gravy, scrape any pan juices from roasting dish into a large jug. Allow fat to settle on top. Spoon off fat layer and discard. Combine flour with ¼ cup of the stock to form a smooth paste. Whisk in remaining stock, soy, pan juices and rested meat juices. Pour into a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil, whisking frequently until thickened.

7 Serve pork carved with roast potatoes and gravy.