Stegt Flæsk with Parsley Sauce

Ingredients

• 800 g pork belly slices
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 800 g new potato, scrubbed
• 40 g butter
• 40 g wheat flour
• 6 dl milk
• 6 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp white pepper

Method

1. 1.

   Season and rack the pork — Heat the oven to 220°C. Lay the pork belly slices in a single layer on a rack set over a roasting tin and season both sides with the salt and black pepper. The rack matters: the fat drips away instead of pooling, so the meat crisps rather than stews.

2. 2.

   Start rendering the fat — Roast for 20 minutes, until the fat has begun to render out and the edges are turning gold.

3. 3.

   Flip until crackling-crisp — Turn each slice and roast for a further 15-18 minutes, until the fat is amber and brittle and a slice snaps rather than bends. Leave them in the switched-off oven to keep warm.

4. 4.

   Boil the new potatoes — Meanwhile, boil the new potatoes in well-salted water for 18-20 minutes, until a knife slides into the largest one without resistance. Drain and keep them covered.

5. 5.

   Cook out a pale roux — Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook the roux for a minute or two, until it smells biscuity but has taken no colour at all.

6. 6.

   Whisk the sauce smooth — Whisk in the milk a splash at a time, letting each addition go completely smooth before the next, then simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

7. 7.

   Finish with parsley — Off the heat, stir in the parsley, nutmeg and white pepper and check the salt. The sauce should be vividly green and taste of parsley, not of flour. Serve the pork with the potatoes and the sauce poured over.