INGREDIENTS
1.5 kg Pork shoulder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the braising liquor
1 Star anise
1 tsp fennel seeds
4 Sprigs fresh thyme
2 large white onions, peeled, halved and sliced
150 ml Clear honey
1 litre Good-quality dry cider
Maldon Sea salt
For the olive oil mash
120 ml double cream
1 tsp caster sugar
250 ml olive oil
100 ml chicken stock, hot
1 garlic clove, peeled and diced
½ onion, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme, stalks removed and chopped
600g new potatoes, scrubbed and skins left on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small celeriac
Recipe continues
METHOD
In a frying pan, dry-fry the onions until caramelized.
Heat an ovenproof cast-iron pan. Season the pork shoulder and dry-fry on both sides, fat side first, until golden brown, ensuring that all sides of the meat are sealed. Add the star anise, fennel seeds, thyme, onions quartered when coloured pour honey over pork then dry cider and move to oven to cook for 3 hours.
Occasionally remove from the oven and baste the pork with the reducing sauce, this will help to build up a lustrous glaze when finished.
Remove from the oven, lift the meat out of the pan to rest for 10 minutes and set aside. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon. Carefully reduce the remaining liquor to the consistency of a sauce.
Serve with olive oil mashed potato.
For the olive oil mash
Heat the cream, sugar, olive oil, stock, garlic, onion, bay leaf and thyme together. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat, cover and leave to stand undisturbed for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile boil the potatoes in their skins for 20-25 mins. Drain and leave to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, use the back of a knife to scrape away the skins. Pass the potatoes through a fine sieve or potato ricer.
Boil the celeriac separately and pass through a ricer and then put in a bowl with the potatoes.
Pass the cream through a sieve, pour into a clean pan and reheat.
When hot pour over the potatoes. Stir to combine, season to taste and serve immediately.