Prep time:

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 4

1.5kg Boned & Tied Leg of Pork

2tbsp Olive Oil & Salt

2 Medium Onions, cut into wedges

2 Braeburn Apples, cut into wedges

For the Potato & Leek Gratin:

6 Potatoes, peeled

2 Leeks, washed and sliced

Knob of Butter

100g Grated Cheddar

Sprinkling of Mixed Herbs

500ml Vegetable Stock

Juliet Bidwell creates a main meal on a budget

To prepare the leg of pork:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 200ºC. Score the pork rind and rub in some salt.
  2. Place the pork in a roasting tin and pour over the oil. Roast the joint for 20 minutes per 450g.
  3. Pop the onion & apple wedges into the roasting tin to bake for the last 20 minutes. (The joint is cooked when pierced with a knife and the juices flow clear.)
  4. Serve with gravy.

For the potato & leek gratin:

  1. Slice the potatoes into ½cm slices.
  2. Blanch the sliced leeks in boiling water for a minute and drain.
  3. Butter a gratin dish, then layer the potatoes and leeks, seasoning with salt and pepper and a sprinkling of herbs between each layer.
  4. Pour on the stock, just covering the potatoes and finish by sprinkling the cheddar over.
  5. Cover with foil and bake in the oven beneath the pork.
  6. Check after 40 minutes and remove the foil to brown the top for 10 minutes.

To serve: I also like to serve this dish with braised red cabbage.

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether

You may also like

Sausage & apple rolls

Apples go so well with pork and with pastry. Choose a good cooking variety and some high quality sausage meat for these deliciously simple-to-make sausage rolls – perfect to serve at Halloween or Bonfire Night.

Apple, cauliflower & Stilton salad

This crunchy salad is ideal for the autumn – whatever the weather. It is hearty enough to serve for a light lunch or supper on its own, but equally good as a side dish. Use firm, tangy dessert apples like...

Hedgerow harvest cake

Celebrate the season with a delicious combination of fruits and nuts gathered from the hedgerows (or the supermarket). Apple is a very useful ingredient in general for cakes, either grated or as apple purée, as it will help to keep...