Reducing Food Wastage with Le Creuset

• 70% of the food thrown away in the UK comes from the home
• Food waste costs each family almost £60 per month
• We each waste the equivalent of 2.5 main meals per week
• More than half the food we throw away could have been eaten
• 5.8 million potatoes are thrown in the bin every day

Slow-cooked pork with the perfect crispy crackling, this dish when brought to the table is a real show-stopper. Perfect for using up old apples, this succulent dish is cooked in cider along with the apples and sweet shallots - leaving the meat deliciously tender and soft. A 29cm Signature Cast Iron Oval Casserole dish is the perfect partner for this one-pot wonder.

• Preparation time: 30 minutes
• Cooking time: 4 hours (includes resting and potato cooking)
• Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 2kg pork shoulder with rind
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 2 apples, quartered
• 3 shallots, halved
• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, skins attached
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 800ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 200ml dry cider
• 1 tablespoon plain flour

For the Mustard Potatoes

• 750g baby or midi potatoes, larger potatoes cut in half
• 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
• 1 tablespoon mixed herbs
• 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 220˚C
• Thoroughly dry the pork joint with kitchen roll before seasoning the meat with salt and pepper. Score the rind with a sharp knife before rubbing in a good handful of salt. Place the joint in the Cast Iron Oval Casserole and place in the hot oven without the lid for 30 minutes.
• When the rind begins to blister and crackle, remove the joint from the oven and turn down to 170˚C
• Nestle the apples, shallots, celery, garlic, bay leaf and fennel seeds under and around the pork. Pour in the stock and cider so the joint is half covered with liquid and cover with the lid. Place in the oven and cook for 3 hours.
• After 3 hours the meat should be tender but still holding form. Remove from the oven and turn the oven back up to 200˚C/ Gas Mark 6. Carefully remove the joint, shallots and apple pieces from the cooking liquid. Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the crackling from the joint. Cover the joint with foil and allow to rest whilst you cook the potatoes and finish the crackling.
• Place the potatoes in a baking tray and coat well with the mustard, herbs, oil and a little seasoning. Add the crackling to the baking tray and place in the oven. Cook for 50 minutes turning the potatoes a couple of times during cooking and remove the crackling once crisp.
• Pour the cooking liquid through a sieve into a clean saucepan. Place over a medium heat. Take 2-3 tablespoons of liquid and combine with the flour in a jug to create a thick paste. Whisk the flour back into the pan and simmer until thickened. Season to taste (and add gravy browning if desired).
• Thickly slice and serve the pork and potatoes alongside the apple and shallot pieces and pour over the gravy. Serve with seasonal greens and crackling.
• Cook's Notes

Don’t worry that your crackling softens slightly when cooking the pork with the lid on. Once the rind is returned to a hot oven with the potatoes it will crisp up to make for the perfect crackling to accompany the pork.

• The top of your Signature Cast Iron Casserole Dish can be used to cook your pizzas. Simply place the lid handle-side down in the bottom of your oven and pop your pizza dough on top for a perfect-every-time-pizza.
• Your Signature Cast Iron Casserole Dish can also be used to bake cakes. Simply grease with a little butter and add your cake batter and leave the lid off for a delicious cake that is sure to rival any showstopper on The Great British Bake Off.
• Cast Iron is incredibly durable. In fact, during a kitchen fire, the only item to survive was the homeowner’s Le Creuset Cast Iron Casserole Dish
• Cast Iron is like a mini aga – it holds heat incredibly well. This heat retention makes it the perfect oven to table accessory.

• 3 –ply stainless steel is as robust as cast iron, but much lighter. It is totally dishwasher proof and you can use stainless steel utensils on it, unlike a more delicate non-stick variety.  You can also bake cakes and breads in your stainless steel saucepans.
• You can alter the grind size of every Le Creuset salt and pepper mill by simply loosening or tightening the screw on the top of the mill.
• The oval shaped Signature Cast Iron casserole dish was originally designed for cooking joints of meat – specifically chicken – try it for your next Sunday roast, you won’t be disappointed!