Roast pork and all the trimmings.

I found this piece of pork on the last grocery trip and it looked really good. It was one of those, grain fed, extra safe to eat pieces which tend to cost more, but they didn't have the piece I really wanted and this actually didn't end up costing more. It was a very good piece of meat, well worth it. 

I slow (er) cooked this, at 375 degrees, for nearly 2hrs, well, pretty much 2hrs. I did sear it first, after seasoning it, and this really helped make a nice crust on the meat. I also put a lot of salt on the skin to make crackling, and added more during the cooking process, and it really came out beautifully crisp. Seeing as the last time we ate crackling must be about 6months ago I don't feel so bad about how bad it is for you! It was a large piece of meat, with some fat in it, which meant it stayed nice and moist. You do need to check it with a thermometer to see if it's done if you aren't sure. 

I roasted whole mini white potatoes and pearl onions alongside the meat, turning them every so often to brown evenly. They took on the flavour of the meat too which was lovely. 

In the meantime I scrubbed some new carrots (that come with the stems and foliage still attached) and thinly sliced them. I let them boil until just done then drained them of the water and we ate them straight away. I also steamed the broccoli and cauliflower until just done and drained it. You really only need to switch the vegetables on about 10minutes before you want to eat so that they are fresh. 

Earlier on in the afternoon I had made a cheese sauce to go on the broccoli and cauliflower. I made it using quinoa flour and milk, with some mustard powder and American mustard (bright yellow stuff) and Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. The cheddar I had wasn't a very strong one so I put a little parmesan in too to help. I was able to heat this up in the microwave on a slow power very well, whisking it occasionally to distribute the heat. I was glad to have the washing of the cheese sauce pan out the way by dinner time! My husband couldn't taste anything different with the cheese sauce but I could definitely tell it was quinoa flour not wheat flour. It wasn't a bad taste, just different. I would make it again for sure, especially if I were making an effort to be gluten free. 

I used a Clubhouse pork gravy mixed with the drippings from the meat (minus the fat and oil which I skimmed off first) and some water from the vegetables. 

I served this with some guava jelly, apple sauce would do nicely too. What a wonderful way to start the weekend, and my husband's 2weeks off work! We even cracked a bottle of champagne we had been saving for a long to time to celebrate this and other things!