Sunday Roast Pork Shoulder, with Potatoes, Peas and Onion Gravy.

A Pork Shoulder is perfect for a Sunday Roast with all the Trimmings from Crackling to Gravy. We do a Pork Sunday Roast at the very least once or twice a month. Our favourite cuts are the Shoulder and the Belly of Pork but we do them independantly. We usually serve them with two to three Vegetables and an Onion Gravy spiked with a little Cider. It is absolutly simple but very lush nonetheless. We are always looking for a good Sunday Roast every Week.

Putting it all Together

Timing

Preptime: 10 to 15 minutes
Cooktime: 1 hour and a half to 2 hours
Servings: 2-4 portions

Ingredients

Pork Shoulder 1 of about 1kg to 1,5kg.

Potatoes 10 to 15. (King Edward or Maris Piper)

Green Peas or Petit Pois, 250g to 500g.

Large White or Brown Onions, 2 to 3, sliced.

Onion Gravy Stock Cube.

Spring Onions 4 to 5, sliced.

Garlic Cloves 2, chopped.

Seasoning: Sea Salt and Cracked Black Peppercorns.

One Tablespoon of Cornflower.

Drizzle of Rapeseed Oil.

Optional: 150 ml of Cider.

Steps

First put the oven on to pre-heat to gas Mark 7.

The Pork Shoulder should be at room temperature and fully defrosted. Give the Pork shoulder a shock, by putting it in a colander, the Skin facing you and pour the boiling Water upon it of a hot kettle. Leave it to rest a little and dry.

Meanwhile peel and slice of your Onions. Then chop the Garlic Cloves, 2.

Butter a deep baking tray. Place the Pork Shoulder upon it. Score the Skin of the Meat in diagonals on both ways or in Diamond shapes. Rub the seasoning within the grooves: Salt, Pepper, and the optional Onion Granules. Brush a little Rapeseed Oil upon the Meat then put in the oven for 30 minutes.

Put a pan on the stove in the meantime of boiling salted Water to part boil the Potatoes. Clean the Potatoes but you can keep the skin on. (King Edward Potatoes or Maris Piper are best, medium sized.). The aim is to have bursting crinkled skin Potatoes at the of the day/roast.

When the half an hour has passed, take the Pork Shoulder out of the oven and lay it upon a grid. Add the the Onions and the chopped Garlics to the Baking Tray along with your drained Potatoes. Place the Pork Shoulder back on top then reduce the oven heat to gas mark 5 when you put the entire tray back in for another 45 minutes.

Prepare a little Stock for the future Onion Gravy. Pour 250 ml of boiling Water in a measuring Jug. Add an Onion Gravy Stock cube (Knorr or Bisto) and wisk away until the cube is diluted in the Water. If using add 250 ml of Apple Cider. Stir well. For recommendation, I use Aspall Cyder for the quality of the product, the fruitiness but also the crisp freshness of that Cyder.

Take the Pork out and check, give or take, how long it needs to be fully done or rendered. Pour your Onion and Cider mix into the tray and return to the oven. This is a balancing act. You must adjust the temperature. If it looks undercooked then raise the temperature a little but if it looks just about right lower it down for about 15 minutes to half an hour.

It will give you time to prepare the Peas. Boil the Kettle and pour the Water upon the Peas. Add some chopped Spring Onions and a Veg Stock cube. Stir gently until the stock cube has melted. Wait for five minutes then drain the Peas and Spring Onions.

Rest the roasted Pork Shoulder and put the Potatoes into a serving dish. Prepare the Gravy by adding a warm watered down tablespoon of Cornflour to the Onions and Cider Stock. It is a whisking away to get the Onion Gravy done to a right consistency.

Meanwhile your partner would have put a knob of Salted Butter, and chopped Parsley upon the Potatoes. Then the Pork Shoulder will be carved.

Drain the Peas and put the dish together: A simple Sunday Roast Shoulder of Pork with Potates and Peas, with the quintessential Onion Gravy.

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