Niall Keating’s Danish roast pork loin with caramelised potatoes, pickled cucumber and red cabbage

Serves 4 (Start at least 3 days before serving) Starters and mains

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Method

At least 3 days before serving, make the pickled cucumbers. Put all the ingredients, except the cucumbers, in a pan with 100ml water and bring to the boil. Drop the cucumber slices into the warm pickling liquid, then transfer to a sterilised jar and seal. The pickled cucumbers will be ready after 3 days, but any leftovers will keep in the fridge, in their liquid.

The day before, bring a pan with 2 litres water and the brine ingredients up to a boil, then remove from heat and chill. Score the pork skin across the grain, with about 0.5cm-1cm between the scores. Make sure to score all the way through the skin until you reach the fat but be careful not to cut into the meat. Submerge the pork in the chilled brine and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Boil the potatoes in salted water, then use a paring knife to peel them once cooked. Keep in the fridge until the next day.

To make the red cabbage, put all the spices, herbs and orange zest in a cheesecloth or spice bag and secure. In a pan with a lid, sauté the red cabbage in the duck fat and season with salt. Once the cabbage begins to wilt, throw in your spice bag and add the honey and vinegar. Stir around and bring to a simmer, put the lid on and allow to cook for about 1 hour, until the cabbage is tender and has absorbed the flavours of the other ingredients. Keep in the fridge, ready to heat the next day.

The next day, remove the pork loin from its brine and pat dry. Rub the coarse salt between the scores of the pork skin (this is crucial as the salt will help crisp up the crackling). Leave the loin out at room temperature for around an hour.

Preheat the oven to 185C/ 165C F/Gas 4½. Fill a baking tray with water up to 2cm depth, place your pork loin in the tray, skin-side down, and put in the oven, to allow the fat to be poached. After about 20-30 minutes transfer the pork loin to a rack, skin-side up, and place the rack over the baking tray so that it can collect any roasting juices, then continue to cook in the oven until a meat thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 62C.

A few minutes before you’re ready to serve, put the sugar and a couple tbsp water in a heavy-based pan big enough to take all the potatoes. Heat the sugar to make a syrup, then turn up the heat until it caramelises to a medium brown and use a wooden spoon to stir in the butter. Add the cooked potatoes to the caramel and coat evenly, over a very low heat, to allow the potatoes to reheat in the caramel without it burning.

Drain the cucumbers and transfer to a little serving bowl. Carve the pork and serve with the potatoes, red cabbage and pickled cucumber.

This recipe was taken from the Christmas 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.