Claypot Pork Roast

It's still winter. Most definitely. Everyone's rejoicing because it's finally above zero degrees, but... really, it's still winter, and there's a lot of it.

So, still plenty of time for what I think of as winter food. This dish most definitely qualifies - as do most roasts, in my opinion. You might have problems finding the same cut as I used, since butchering is one of those things that greatly differ from country to country. I used something called "skinkstek", but "fläskstek" would also have been good. I think the difference is small. They weigh about 1 kg, or 2 pounds. Then again, I find that especially US cuts are usually a LOT bigger than ours...

Anyway - it's a fairly lean cut, and well suited for this kind of cooking. You basically cut it into a flat(-tish) slab, rub it with spices, fill it with onions and garlic, and roast it. In a claypot. Yes, get out the one you have gathering dust on a shelf somewhere! You can probably make this in another kind of pot, but I haven't tried it - I think you'll probably have to adjust the cooking time.

We served this with a simple gravy and boiled potatoes, and some boiled carrots, too.

Claypot Pork Roast
(printable recipe)
serves 4

1 kg roasting pork (see above)
2 yellow onions
3 garlic cloves
salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp cloves, ground
1/2 tbsp fennel seeds, ground
2 tbsp olive oil
1 parsnip
2 carrots
100 g swede (rutabaga)



Remember to soak your clay pot for a few hours before you begin cooking.

Chop the onions and garlic. Set aside about 1/3 of the onions, and fry the rest in one tbsp olive oil along with the garlic. Leave to cool slightly.

Cut the pork into a flat slab by cutting lengthwise into it, but not all the way through. Open as you would a book. Score the surface, but without cutting through it.

Mix cloves, fennel and rosemary with salt and pepper. Pour the remaining tablespoon of oil over the pork roast and work in the spice mix with your fingers. Put some of the oil and just salt and pepper on what will be the outside of the roast.

Place the fried onion mix on the inside of the roast. Roll up tightly and bind, using kitchen string. (Or food loops, which is what I have.)

Heat a frying pan and brown the roast on all sides.

Coarsely chop carrots, parsnip and swede. Mix with the onion that you've set aside, and place in the clay pot. Set the pork roast on top. Cover with the lid, and place in the cold oven. Set the heat to 200°C, and leave it in for about 90 minutes.

Remove the pot from the oven, but be very careful when removing the lid. There can be a whole lot of really hot steam! Remove the roast to a cutting board and let it rest for a little while before carving. Meanwhile, you can push the now very soft vegetables through a sieve and make a simple gravy by mixing them with a little bit of apple juice and cream (and season with salt and pepper). Serve with boiled potatoes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Fläskstek i lergryta