Porchetta with Herb Roasted Potatoes and Salsa Verde

Calling all pork lovers

Who doesn't love a crispy (and definitely fatty) and succulent roast pork once in a while. Not just ordinary roast pork, but PORK bursting with FLAVOUR and AROMA.

Porchetta with Herb Roasted Potatoes and Salsa Verde

Being a Filipino, roasted pork or lechon as we call it are also popular with us, it's typical in every Filipino gatherings or celebration, sometimes even without celebrations. Lechon, is a whole suckling pig seasoned and slow roasted on wood fire.  Ask anyone to describe it, they will say the same thing; the skin is crispy while its meat is tender, juicy and flavorful which is consistent with any size of the lechon. I'll bet, they'll go crazy. 

And, as Anthony Bourdain would put it while getting his hand dirty with the lechon skin "tastes like candy." “Best Pig … Ever!” 

So here it goes. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Porchetta...

Porchetta, is an Italian roast pork stuffed with herbs, rolled and roasted, traditionally over wood. Although it is popular around Italy, it originated in the central Italy, the town of Ariccia (Province of Rome) are known to be the place where it all began. Often consider as a dish usually served during special events, not here though, every single day you can have a piece of the meaty goodness.

While in Rome last summer, we drove up the Alban Hills where Ariccia is situated and found our way to the place where you can have traditional porchetta. All of a sudden my world stopped. I was in porchetta paradise. I was standing in the middle of trattoria after trattoria's. It is where I had my first ever porchetta. And there my lovely friends, the start of my addiction with these tender and delicious dish.

I've had them with just plain meat, I've had them with potatoes or any side, I've had them in panini's. How many times? I'm not sure, but it's A LOT!

I've been wanting to make porchetta at home, but it seems complicated. Well, I'm glad I tried making them yesterday. 

It's easy as 1,2,3. I'm serious.

The skin was perfectly crispy, the meat turned out savoury and tender, and it was absolutely packed with flavour. 

I'm a happy girl!

Eat moderately!!! 

L: The rolled stuffed pork belly. R: Butterflied pork belly rubbed with the salsa verde.

I don't normally follow measurements or cooking time. But, I tried my best to give it all here together with the procedure. I'm no expert. I just do it according to my taste and like.

Serves 2

Ingredients 

1 Kilo (2 pounds) slab pork belly, skin on

3 garlic gloves, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted and crushed

2 bunch Italian parsley (or normal parsley)

4 fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon chili flakes (add more if you want it spicier)

1/2 lemon

3 tablespoon Olive Oil

Salt and pepper (for rubbing)

Kitchen twine

For Potato

4 medium size potatoes, sliced into bite size

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 teaspoon bottled mixed herbs (you can use any mixed herbs)

A pinch of salt and pepper

For the Porchetta

- Butterfly the pork roast. With a sharp knife, slice open and butterfly the pork belly, until you can roll it in a flat.

- Lay the butterflied pork, skin side down. Rub the salt and pepper all over the meat, including the skin. Add half of the salsa verde and rub all over the meat.

- Tightly roll the pork and tie together with a kitchen twine, wrap in a cling film and keep overnight in the fridge.

- Heat the oven to 275F. Place in a roasting pan and roast on the centre rack of the oven. Cook for 2 hours or until it reach internal temperature of 140F.  After an hour, brush the entire roast with the drippings from the pan, every 15 minutes, for a more crispy skin. Increase the oven temperature for maybe 5 minutes, by then the skin will turn golden brown. Be careful not to burn the skin. Once done, take the porchetta out of the oven, cover loosely with a foil and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. 

_ Transfer into a chopping board, cut off the twine, slice and serve with the remaining salsa verde (can also be served with stovetop herb roasted potatoes - instruction below).

For the Salsa Verde (Herb rub)

- Remove the parsley and sage leaves from their stems and chop them finely, the easiest way to do this if you don't have a chopper or mortar and pestle is you chop a bit, add some ingredients, and chop more. I took a handful of the leaves, gave them a squeeze and chop it using a cleaver knife until smooth, and do it with the rest.

- Do the same thing with the garlic.

- In an oil-free pan, roast the fennel seeds, cool a bit and grind.

- In a bowl combine the grind parsley/sage leaves, garlic, fennel seed, a chili flakes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well. Set aside.

For Salsa Verde (side)

- With the remaining half of the salsa verde, add about 2 table spoon of olive oil and mix well. Set aside, as a sauce.

For the Stovetop Herb Roasted Potatoes

      -Heat pan, put olive oil. Add the potatoes, herb, salt, and pepper and toss well. Cover the pot tightly and cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender when tested with a fork. From time to time, mix the potatoes and cover again. Turn off heat. Serve as a side dish.