Roast Pork Belly With Hasselback Potatoes And Gremolata

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ gas 6

Pat your pork belly dry with kitchen paper

Score the fatty side of the pork belly in a criss-cross pattern by drawing a sharp knife through the skin, deep enough to reach the meat below

Season with a very generous pinch of salt and rub it deep into the criss-cross pattern

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) over a high heat

Once very hot, add the pork belly, fat side down and cook for 3-4 min or until coloured and crispy, then flip and cook for 2 min on the other side

Line a baking tray (or two!) with tin foil

Once the pork is done, transfer to the tray[s] and put the tray[s] in the oven for 40-45 min or until cooked through (no pink meat!)

While the pork fat is crisping up, cut narrow slices (about the width of a pound coin) into your waxy potatoes, making sure not to cut all the way down to the base – these are your hasselback potatoes

Tip: Rest the potatoes in the hollow of a wooden spoon when cutting, it will prevent you from cutting all the way through the potato!

Boil a kettle

Add the hasselback potatoes to another tin foil-lined baking tray (or two!), drizzle each with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

Put the tray[s] in the oven for 35-40 min or until tender and starting to crisp

While the pork and potatoes are in the oven, chop your parsley finely, including the stalks, then strip your mint leaves from their stems and chop them roughly, discard the stems

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Combine most of the chopped parsley and mint (save a little for garnish!) with your red wine vinegar, grated garlic (not a big garlic fan? Try using less!) and 2 tbsp [3 tbsp] [4 tbsp] olive oil in a bowl

Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper – this is your gremolata

Trim, then chop your green beans in half

Add the halved green beans to a pot, cover them with boiled water (just enough to cover them) with a pinch of salt

Bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 3-4 min or until tender

Once tender, add the green beans to a colander and pour cold water over them until they are cool – these are your blanched beans

Meanwhile, slice your apple[s] (skin on) into matchsticks and discard the core[s]

In a large bowl, combine the blanched beans, apple matchsticks and half the gremolata (save the rest for garnish!) and give everything a good mix up – this is your gremolata, apple & green bean salad

Slice the roasted pork belly on a clean board