Ingredients

• 3.5-4kg/8-9lb piece of pork belly
• bone in
• skin on
• 2 tbsp salt
• 8 garlic cloves
• smashed
• 4 tbsp smoked paprika
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 lemons
• halved lengthways then thickly sliced
• 4 large potatoes
• peeled and halved
• 4 tsp vegetable oil
• 6 parsnips peeled
• trimmed and split down the middle
• 500g/1lb 2oz parsnips
• peeled and cut into 5cm/2in pieces
• 100g/3½oz potatoes
• diced
• 1 garlic clove
• peeled and left whole
• 200ml/7fl oz milk
• 50ml/2fl oz olive oil
• ½ lemon
• juice only
• 50ml/2fl oz double cream
• 10g/¼oz butter
• salt and pepper
• 2 large handfuls flatleaf parsley
• leaves picked
• 1 large handful basil leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• peeled
• 1 boiled egg
• 1 handful fresh white breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp capers
• 50ml/2fl oz olive oil
• pinch salt

Directions

• For the pork
• using a very sharp knife (or a utility knife)
• score the skin of the pork really deeply in a criss-cross pattern with about a 1cm/½in gap between each cut. Boil your kettle
• put the pork in a clean sink
• skin-side up
• and pour the boiling water over the skin of the pork – this scalds it and it will make sure the skin is crispy once it is roasted.
• In a large bowl
• mix the salt
• garlic
• paprika
• vegetable oil and lemon pieces. Now
• rub the mixture into the pork skin and flesh
• leaving the lemon pieces sitting on top of the skin. Put the pork on a tray and leave it to marinate in the fridge for 12-24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Put the potatoes in a large roasting tin (the potatoes will act as a trivet). Lay the pork
• skin-side up
• on top of the potatoes and pour over any marinade left in the tray. Pour a mug of water into the bottom of the tray underneath the pork. Cover the pork with baking paper
• then with foil and tuck the foil around the outside of the tin to seal. Roast for 4 hours.
• Take the pork out of the oven and increase the oven temperature to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Carefully remove the foil – the tin will be steaming. Put the pork back in the oven and roast for a further hour.
• For the roast parsnips
• heat the oil in a roasting tray until hot. Put the parsnips in a bowl and pour over boiling water to scald them. Drain the parsnips and pat dry
• place in the hot oil and carefully toss so they are all covered. Roast for 45 minutes. Season with a little salt before serving.
• Take the pork out of the oven and leave it to sit somewhere warm to rest for 30 minutes. While the pork is resting
• make the mash and the salsa verde.
• For the parsnip mash
• put the parsnips
• potatoes
• garlic cloves in a saucepan and half cover with water. Add the milk and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook until completely overcooked
• stirring constantly.
• Drain well
• transfer to a clean pan and keep warm
• reserving the cooking liquid. Warm the cream and the butter. Put the cooked vegetables in a food processor with some of the cooking liquor and blend until smooth
• add the cream and butter and blend more. If the mixture is too thick add a little more of the cooking liquid.
• For the salsa verde
• put the parsley
• basil and garlic into a food processor and pulse until chunky. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse for 30 seconds or until the mixture has a roughly chopped texture – it should not be a paste.
• When the pork has rested
• lift it out of the tin and lay it skin-side down on a carving board. Score the underside of the pork so that you can see the ends of the bones. Pop them out using your thumb
• then take the bones out by simply pulling at the sticking out ends – they should pull away from the flesh easily. Cut the pork in half lengthways
• then cut each half into 5 or 6 slices. Flip each one over – it should be a lovely glistening slice of roasted deliciousness. The whole board goes to the table. Bowls of mash
• bowls of salsa verde – go for it! Serve with the spuds that were cooked under the pork and the roast parsnips.