Al Fresco

With all this glorious sunshine we've had for the last week (yes, even here in Scotland!) I've been dining al fresco as often as I could. To my mind pork is a great meat for such occasions, think hog roasts and big gatherings. For something on a far smaller scale a piece of leg or belly is perfect for 'forget about it' slow cooking and can be served very simply - while you get out and enjoy the sunshine!

Slow roast pork with beetroot and potato boulangere.

For 4

1.25 - 1.5kg piece of pork leg or belly (leg must have skin for that all-important crackling!)

Half a dozen sage leaves

2 cloves garlic

olive oil

5 or 6 medium beetroot

3-4 medium potatoes

1 medium onion

approx 400ml chicken or vegetable stock

butter

To get the skin crispy, score using a very sharp knife (a Stanley knife does the job very well), either criss-cross at 1cm intervals or in one direction a bit closer together. Be careful not to score into the flesh, just down into the layer of fat. Bash the sage and garlic in a pestle and mortar or chop it finely, add some salt and a good glug of olive oil and rub this all over the piece of meat and into the skin. Leave it for an hour or so in its roasting tin if you can, but don't worry if you have to skip this. Preheat the oven to 220c and put the meat in.

Peel and slice the beetroot, potato and onion into 5mm slices. Place half of the beetroot in a layer in an oven-proof dish or baking tin, scatter with a few slices of onion and cover with a layer of potato and some salt and pepper, then repeat. Pour over the stock, so that it just comes to the level of the top layer and dot with a few pieces of butter.

After the pork has been in for about 2o minutes lower the oventemperature to 180c (170 for a fan oven) and place the meat lower down if you can. Put the beetroot and potato on the higher shelf.

You can then go away and ignore the whole thing for about 2 hours.

When you come back check the meat is cooked and tender and increase the oven temperature back up to 220c, and swap the meat onto the top shelf to crisp up the cracking. About 15 minutes should do it. The top layer of potato should also brown off a little in the higher temperature. Remove the meat and while it is resting somewhere warm for a few minutes, throw a quick bit of salad together, throw a glass of wine into the roasting tin with the juices and bring it up to the boil to make a thin gravy. Carve the meat into nice thick slices and serve with some of the beetroot and potato and finish with a dollop of apple sauce (I'm sure you know how to make it).

Enjoy whilst sat in the sunshine!