Roast pork with braised lettuce, cannellini beans, new potatoes and almond pesto recipe

1. Preheat the oven to gas 9, 250°C, fan 230°C. Season the pork joint all over with salt, place on a baking tray and roast for 25-30 mins, until the crackling is well established and completely or almost completely crisp.
2. Turn the oven down to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C and roast for a further 30 mins if your joint is 1kg. If the crackling isn’t perfect after this time, turn the oven back up to the original temperature and roast for a further 10 mins to finish it off.
3. Meanwhile, while the oven is at the lower temperature, toast the almonds for the pesto on a baking tray underneath the meat for 8-10 mins, until golden. Leave to cool.
4. To make the pesto, put all the ingredients except the lemon juice and olive oil in a food processor with some salt, and blitz until you have a rough paste. Pour in the oil, lemon juice and 3 tbsp water, then blitz again briefly so everything comes together. Season to taste, then set aside. Use a pestle and mortar if you don’t have a mini processor.
5. Once the pork is cooked, transfer the joint from to a serving platter and set aside to rest (no need to cover). Cook the potatoes in plenty of boiling salted water for 15-20 mins until tender, then drain, return to the warm pan and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, for the vegetables melt the butter in a large sauté pan over a medium heat, then add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 mins until fragrant and the butter is browning, add the stock and beans, bring to a simmer, then cover, turn the heat right down and cook very gently for 5 mins. Add the lettuce and peas, gently covering them with some of the liquid. Simmer for 3 mins, until the peas are hot and the lettuce is wilting but still a vibrant green. Keep warm on the lowest heat.
7. Thickly slice the potatoes and divide between four large, shallow bowls. Carve the pork, slicing off the crackling carefully and breaking it up into chunks before thinly slicing the meat. Season the braised vegetables well, then divide between the bowls, top with 2-3 slices of pork and finish with some crackling and a generous dollop of the pesto. Encourage your guests to mix the pesto into the braising liquid before eating.

Tips: Make the pesto up to 3 days in advance. If you’re making it that far ahead, transfer it to a clean jar or airtight container, flatten the top and cover with a thin layer of oil before refrigerating. On the day, bring the pesto back to room temperature before stirring the oil into it and spooning on top of the pork.

It doesn’t really matter what mixture of herbs you use – they will all taste delicious – so this recipe is a good opportunity to use up odds and ends in your fridge

For the best crackling results, remove the pork from its packaging the night before cooking, pat dry with kitchen paper and leave uncovered in the bottom of the fridge so the skin can properly dry out. Remove the joint from the fridge 30 mins-1 hr before roasting.

See more Pork recipes

For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.