Roast Pork

Name: Roast Pork with Potatoes: Easy Oven Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Pork, cutlet part or neck (pieces of 150-200 g) 800 g; Vegetable oil 3 tbsp; Ground caraway, coriander, marjoram, black pepper in equal parts, to taste; Coarse salt 1-2 pinches; Potatoes 5-6 small potatoes; Vegetable oil 1 tbsp, to coat the potatoes; Dark beer a little, for the sauce, optional; Table mustard, fresh bread for serving

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1 h 30 mins

To my taste, roast pork is the most meaty main dish there is. It is usually a large boneless piece of meat that you rub with spices, then sear in oil and bake or braise. European cuisines have plenty of traditional versions of this dish, each typical of its country. Very few additions and a good choice of spices make the meat taste wonderful.

These are usually large pieces of pork: neck, shoulder, loin or ham. Most European restaurants have a roast cooked to a special recipe on the menu. What is more, in some countries meat roasted in pieces is traditionally served for holidays or on weekends. Before roasting, the meat is often marinated in beer, as for baked pork (buzhenina).

For cooking, use the most “meaty” spices: caraway, sometimes cumin, marjoram and coriander, which is simply excellent with pork. You can stud the pieces of meat with garlic cloves. If you plan to braise the pork after searing it, add root vegetables such as carrot, parsley root and celery. Parsnip gives a very good result.

Meat is almost always served with sauces. If the meat was braised with vegetables, the vegetable mass becomes the sauce. You can add meat broth or dark beer to it. A simpler and just as tasty option is to pour over the meat the juices left after frying. Dumplings and sauerkraut are served as a side, as for roast pork knuckle, and so are various salads. One of the best sides for roast meat is country-style potatoes.

It is convenient when the pieces of pork are about the size of a fist, rounded and without big chunks of fat. Neck or loin, the so-called “cutlet” part, is ideal. Roast pork also turns out well with pieces of ham or shoulder.

Fresh pork does not need marinating. But if you are going to marinate the pieces before searing, add a bay leaf, onion rings and crushed garlic cloves to the marinade. Bits of spices on the surface of the meat tend to burn during frying, so wipe the pieces thoroughly with a paper towel. Even better, while the meat marinates, put the spices into a piece of cloth, tie it up and drop it into the marinade.

More with pork neck or shoulder

Pljeskavica with Beef, Lamb and Pork

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How to Marinate Shashlik

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Fried Pork with Vegetables

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Pork Shoulder Steak

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Pan-Fried Pork with Onions

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More pork neck and shoulder recipes

Ingredients

3 servings

For the roast
Pork, cutlet part or neck (pieces of 150-200 g) 800 g
Vegetable oil 3 tbsp
Ground caraway, coriander, marjoram, black pepper in equal parts, to taste
Coarse salt 1-2 pinches
For the side dish
Potatoes 5-6 small potatoes
Vegetable oil 1 tbsp, to coat the potatoes
For the sauce and serving
Dark beer a little, for the sauce, optional
Table mustard, fresh bread for serving

Step-by-step recipe

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Preparing the meat and potatoes

Pork roast can be made from pieces of any size. If you like, cut the pork into fairly small pieces, as for goulash. Or, preferably, cook pieces weighing 150-200 grams. The fat content of the meat does not matter much: the dish is equally tasty made from the cutlet part or from the neck.
Prepare the meat: trim off large pieces of fat and any bones. If the pieces of pork are very large, cut them up.
Mix the spices and rub them over the meat. In a cup or bowl, mix equal parts of ground caraway, coriander, marjoram and black pepper, add 1-2 pinches of coarse salt and stir. Sprinkle the spices over the meat and leave for 15-20 mins.
Prepare the potatoes that will bake together with the meat: wash 5-6 small potatoes and cut them into quarters. Sprinkle the potatoes with the spice mix, coat with vegetable oil and spread on a baking sheet lined with foil. I have published a detailed recipe: country-style potatoes.

Searing

Sear the meat until it has a golden crust. Heat 3 tbsp of vegetable oil, sunflower or olive, in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, fry the prepared pieces of meat in it on slightly above medium heat, turning to brown all sides.

Baking in the oven

Put the pork in a baking dish and place it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the seared pork into a dish of heatproof glass or ceramic and pour over all the liquid left in the frying pan. If the surface of the meat looks completely dry, brush it with a little vegetable oil. Place the roast in the oven uncovered, with the baking sheet of potatoes next to it.
Bake the roast for about 50 mins, turning the pieces 2-3 times for better, even browning. Pork cooks quickly, but for a nice golden color and a good crust it is worth extending the cooking time. The meat is done when clear juice runs out when you pierce it with a knife.

Serving

Make the sauce if you want more of it: before pouring it over the finished roast, boil the liquid left from frying in a pan with a little dark beer. You can reduce away some of the excess moisture to make the sauce thicker.
Plate the roast: when the pork and potatoes are ready, put 1-2 pieces of meat on each plate, add potato wedges and pour the sauce over the meat, the liquid left after roasting the meat in the oven.
Serve pork roast while the meat is still very hot, when the dish tastes best. Be sure to serve it with fresh bread. I suggest putting table mustard in a small sauce dish. Many people prefer tomato sauce or adjika, which is also very good. I also suggest trying a sauce made from sour berries such as tkemali or lingonberries.

Calories and macros

900 kcal

Serving ≈ 360 g

Protein49 g22% of kcal
Fat67 g68% of kcal
Carbs22 g10% of kcal

100 g248 kcalProtein 13.4 gFat 18.3 gCarbs 6 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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