1.8kg-2.2kg loin of pork- olive oil, for rubbing
- sea salt flakes
- 10 baby apples (350g)
caramelised onion stuffing
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 onions, sliced
- 3-4 cups (210g-280g) fresh breadbcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon chopped sage, thyme, oregano or rosemary leaves
Preheat oven to 220ºC (425ºF). To make the caramelised onoin stuffing, heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes or until soft and golden. Combine with the breadcrumbs and sage. Set aside.
With the point of a sharp knife, score the skin of the pork at 1.5cm intervals. Lay the loin out flat, place the stuffing down the middle and roll up. Secure with kitchen string and rub the skin with oil and salt. Place the meat on a rack in a baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200ºC (400ºF) and bake for a further 30 minutes. Make a cut around the circumference of the apples, place with the pork on the baking rack and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the pork is cooked to your liking. Slice and serve with the apples. Serves 6–8.
* It isn’t necessary to cook pork until it is completely dried out, as was the fashion in the past. (According to a popular old wives’ tale, overcooking pork was said to guard against disease.) Try cooking your pork medium rather than well done and taste the difference.
** Pork goes well with many flavours, including apple (either traditional apple sauce or roasted apples) and herbs such as sage, parsley, thyme and rosemary that can be placed under the pork before baking or incorporated as part of the stuffing.
*** To achieve a really crispy crackle, begin cooking the pork at a high temperature to crisp up the skin, then lower the heat to cook the meat through.
