Baked Crunchy Pork Belly with Creamy Rosemary Sweet Potato Pie

120 min
This dish celebrates pork at its best in texture and flavor. The protagonist is a pork belly cooked in the oven using a two-stage technique that guarantees incredibly puffy and crispy skin (“crackling”), while the meat remains tender and juicy. The only secret is salt and a touch of lemon. As the perfect accompaniment, a Sweet Potato Pie (or Dauphinois Sweet Potato Gratin), made with thin slices of sweet potato dipped in a mixture of heavy cream, melted butter, garlic and fresh rosemary, slowly baked until soft, creamy and golden on top. The combination of crispy, salty pork with sweet, creamy sweet potato is simply spectacular.

INGREDIENTES

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4
Porciones

HERRAMIENTAS

  • + Oven
  • + Baking tray with rack (ideal for bacon).
  • + Rectangular or square baking dish (for the cake).
  • + Mandolin (or very sharp knife).
  • + Large bowl.
  • + Cutting board and knife.
  • + Kitchen paper.

INSTRUCCIONES

Step 1:

Prepare the Bacon (Crucial). Dry the skin of the bacon very, very well with kitchen paper. This is the most important step in achieving crunch. Make superficial cuts in the skin if desired (optional). Generously season the skin with coarse-grained salt, making sure it goes into any cuts you've made. Season the meat part as well.

Step 2:

First Cooking (Meat Up). Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the bacon on a tray (ideally on a rack), with the skin down (the flesh facing up). Bake for 45 minutes.

Step 3:

Second Cooking (Skin Up). Remove the bacon from the oven. Carefully turn it over so that the The skin is facing up. Squeeze the lemon juice onto the warm skin (this helps it puff up and crisp). Put it back in the oven for an additional 45 minutes at 200°C, or until the skin is completely puffed up, golden and super crisp.

Step 4:

Prepare the Sweet Potato Pie. While the bacon is in its second cooking, lower the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F) if necessary (or use another oven if you have one). Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into very thin slices with a mandoline (or knife).

Step 5:

Blend. In a large bowl, place the sweet potato slices. Add the melted butter, minced garlic, chopped rosemary, salt and pepper. Pour in the heavy cream and mix gently with your hands until all the sheets are well impregnated.

Step 6:

Bake the cake. Grease a baking dish. Arrange the sweet potato sheets in neat layers inside the fountain. Pour the excess cream over the top. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 40-50 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender when pricked and the surface is golden and bubbly.

Step 7:

Rest and Cut. Once the bacon is ready, remove it from the oven and, very importantly, let it rest on a board for 10-15 minutes before cutting it. This allows the juices to be redistributed. Then, cut it into thick pieces with a sharp knife or kitchen axe (listen to that crunch!).

Step 8:

Serve. Serve a generous serving of the creamy sweet potato pie with a few pieces of the ultra-crispy bacon.

TIPS

  • + Dry the Skin! I can't stress this enough. Perfectly dry skin before baking is THE secret to a Crackling spectacular. If you have time, leave it to dry uncovered in the fridge from the night before.
  • + Generous Salt: Salt not only gives flavor, but it helps draw moisture away from the skin, making it crispier. Be generous with coarse-grained salt on your skin.
  • + The Lemon Trick: Squeezing lemon onto hot skin in the second cooking stage causes a reaction that helps the skin to swell and become incredibly crisp.
  • + Thin Sheets: Use a mandoline to cut the sweet potato. Thin, even sheets ensure that the cake cooks evenly and has a delicate texture.
  • + Mandatory Rest: Letting the bacon rest before cutting it is as important as cooking it. If you cut it immediately, it will lose all its juices. Patience!
  • + Strong Oven: A constant high temperature (200°C) is necessary to achieve that puffy and crisp skin. Make sure your oven maintains a good temperature.