Confit Pork Belly by The Milestone

Confit pork belly with black pudding, mashed potato and apple sauce

Ingredients
1kg pork belly
500kg Duck or goose fat
For the mashed potato
1kg desiree potatoes
100ml double cream
100ml semi-skimmed milk
150g butter
Few sprigs rosemary
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of white pepper
Apple sauce
2 Granny Smih apples
50g caster sugar
Juice 1 lemon
Seeds from half a vanilla pod
50ml water
50g butter
For the black pudding
1 litre fresh pig’s blood
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
12 sage leaves, finely chopped
125g pork back fat, cut into 1cm cubes
75g sultanas
75g pearl barley, boiled until soft
75g porridge oats
Pinch white pepper

Method
To prepare the pork belly:
Warm the goose fat in a pan.
Place the pork belly in an ovenproof dish and cover with the fat.
Cover with tin foil and place in the oven at 120 degrees for 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours.
To test whether the pork is cooked, cut into the meat with a knife. If it cuts through with little resistance it is cooked.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Take the pork from the fat and place between two flat baking trays.
Wrap the trays tightly in cling film and place a heavy weight on top, to compress for 24 hours.
Cut 4 square portions, remove the skin and fry fat side down until crisp.
To make the mashed potato
Peel the potatoes, season with salt and boil until soft.
Infuse the cream, milk and butter, with the thyme and rosemary in a pan for 15 minutes.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow to steam for 2 minutes.
Mash the potatoes with a potato ricer.
Sieve the cream and milk mix and beat into the mashed potato until light and fluffy.
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
For the apple sauce
Peel and core the apple and chop into inch cubes.
Place all the ingredients except the butter in a pan and cook until soft.
Liquidise the apples and butter until smooth.
Pass through a fine sieve.
To make the black pudding
Blend the blood with a stick blender until smooth.
Pass through a fine sieve.
Cook the onion, garlic and sage until soft and combine with the blood.
Add the remaining ingredients and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Place the mix in a terrine mould lined with baking parchment and bake in a bain marie at 120 degrees for 45 minutes.
Check the black pudding is cooked by placing a knife into the centre of the pudding. If clean, the pudding is cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

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