Pork Roast

This is one of those dishes you do not make on a random weekday. It takes time, and it is meant for a slow Sunday or for when there is something to celebrate. Slow-roasted pork is a classic for weekend meals, but also for holidays.

For us, this is what we always had for Christmas. The timing is not accidental: the holidays came right after koline—the traditional pig slaughter in late autumn, when families prepared and preserved pork for the winter—so pork was what you had. It also came with the usual symbolism: pigs root forward (progress), birds scratch backward (bad luck), so poultry stayed off the festive table.

Recipe

Ingredients:

Pork roast

• 1.4 kg pork loin

• 1/2 garlic head (peeled cloves)

• 1/2 tbsp salt

• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 120 ml freshly squeezed lime juice

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

Potatoes

• 1 kg potatoes

Garlic butter

• 50 g butter

• 1 sprig thyme

• 1/2 head garlic

Instructions:

The day before

1. Cut several slits into the pork loin on all sides.

2. Mince the garlic and mix it with the salt, oregano, and pepper to form a paste. Work the paste into the slits and rub it over the surface of the meat.

3. Dissolve the sugar in the lime juice. Place the pork in a sturdy plastic bag and add the lime juice, olive oil, bay leaf, and chopped shallot. Seal and massage to distribute evenly.

4. Refrigerate for about 24 hours, turning the bag once or twice.

On the day of roasting

1. Remove the pork from the refrigerator about 1 hour before cooking. Take it out of the bag, pat dry with paper towels, and remove the shallot and bay leaf.

2. In a small pan, melt the butter with the thyme and a few garlic cloves for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

3. Peel and slice the potatoes. Toss them with a little olive oil, salt, and the remaining garlic cloves, then arrange in a baking dish.

4. Preheat the oven to 150 °C (300 °F).

5. Brush the pork with the garlic butter and place it on top of the potatoes. Roast, brushing the meat every 30 minutes and stirring the potatoes occasionally.

6. After about 75 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 230 °C (450 °F) and continue roasting until the internal temperature reaches 65 °C (150 °F), about 30–40 minutes more. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

7. Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

8. Stir the potatoes and return them to the oven until golden and crisp. Remove the garlic if desired.

9. Slice the pork and serve with the potatoes.