Pork Belly with Potatoes

January 8, 2017

On December 18th 2015, the IK posted a recipe for pork belly with beans. By some weird coincidence, exactly one year later, on December 18th, 2016, the IK decided to make pork belly with beans again. While the foregoing makes it sound as if Mr. and Mrs. IK have eaten the dish only twice, pork belly with beans is favorite winter dish Chez IK, prepared and consumed with some frequency.

As luck would have it, our normally well-stocked kitchen–read: embarrassingly crammed–was out of canned beans. And no, none were soaking, either.

The IK had no intention of going out to buy beans. Why this was she cannot recall. After all, December 18th was last year. Who wants to look back that far, only to be reminded of what was?

What? You’re saying December 18th was only three weeks ago? Yeah, well, Carrie Fisher was alive three weeks ago. So was her mother. George Michael, too. We could continue. Suffice to say, the IK was out of canned beans. Why not live on the edge and try potatoes?

(The potatoes were sulking, refusing to be photogenic. So no potato pix. But we all know what potatoes look like, right? The shallots, they rose to the occasion. Yay shallots.)

Mr. IK was off playing soccer. The pork belly finished cooking just in time to be not quite ready for dinner. Surely you’ve had this happen: after braising a dish for hours, it’s ready, but whoever you’re planning to feed isn’t. Or maybe it’s not quite mealtime. Then again, mealtime isn’t far enough off to merit cooling the dish to refrigeration point, because by then it’ll be dinnertime.

The IK’s oven has a warm setting. On this particular December 18th, one thing led to another, which led to the pork belly sitting in the oven on the warm setting for two and half hours (which is warm enough, it should be said, not to breed bacterial illness). By the time Mr. and Mrs. IK sat down to eat, expectations were low.

To the couple’s shock, the dish was amazing. The prolonged cooking time allowed the potatoes to crisp slightly while absorbing the tomatoey cooking juices. The pork belly was melty and tender without being the least bit overcooked. Pronouncing it better than the original, Mr. and Mrs. IK ate it right up.

This recipe is the ultimate set-it and forget it: throw everything into a pot, place pot in a slow oven, and go about your business. Should your business involve working outside the home for extended periods, consider making this recipe in a slow cooker.

Any recipe calling for pork belly is extremely filling. A crunchy green salad with a sharp dressing is all you’ll want or need.

Let us credit our source: the original Pork Belly and Beans recipe comes from Tamasin Day-Lewis, and her extremely useful Kitchen Bible.

Pork Belly With Potatoes

adapted from Tamasin Day-Lewis’s Kitchen Bible

Prep time: about 15 minutes

Cooking time: 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours; leaving it in the oven on low heat for an additional 2 hours is optional.

The dish can also be prepared in a slow cooker; consult your model’s directions.

Yield: 2-4 servings

olive oil for the pan

bouquet garni: a few sprigs parsley, thyme, and 2 bay leaves, tied with kitchen string

1 1/2 pounds meaty pork belly, preferably organic

3-5 large Yellow Finn or other waxy potatoes (about 1 pound) scrubbed and quartered, peeling optional

1 pint or one 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes in juice

3 small shallots, peeled and chopped

3-6 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced (depending on preference)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

parsley for top (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Using a large, sharp knife, slice the pork belly into cubes. If pork belly has a rind, trim it off. If the knife is slipping, place the pork belly in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up.

Rind can be saved, divided up into small portions and frozen, for use in soups, stews, or anywhere a little fat is needed for cooking.

Place a 3 or 4 quart oven-safe, heavy lidded casserole over medium-low heat. Enameled cast iron is ideal, but any oven-safe, heavy-duty pot will do. Heat a film of olive oil in the pot. Lay the bouquet garni inside, add the pork, potato, tomatoes and juices, shallots, garlic, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. I take this step as my pan, a Staub “Everyday” pot, requires gentle preheating. Stir gently, cover, and place in oven.

Cook at 325 F for 1 1/2 to 2/ 1/2 hours, giving the dish an occasional stir. Pork and potatoes are ready when fork tender. At this point, you have three options:

-Serve immediately

-Cool, refrigerate, and serve within two days

-Turn your oven down to 200F or the “keep warm” function and leave the pork and potatoes in, uncovered, up to two more hours. Do check the dish periodically, as ovens vary and your oven’s “warm” setting may be far warmer or cooler than mine: you may need to turn your oven up or down.

Safety Note: My oven’s keep warm function is warm enough that I do not fear bacterial growth. Should you have concerns over food safety, don’t set your oven temperature lower than 200F for protracted periods of time. Please err on the side of caution.

Pork belly and potatoes goes nicely with a fresh green salad. I made a salad dressing of lemon, Coleman’s horseradish, and olive oil for iceberg lettuce, that wrongly maligned vegetable. It was perfect with the richly fatty pork.

Pork Belly with Potatoes

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