The Oven Boss

A long simmered bun is so tender that it barely holds together. The shoulder or neck of the pig, despite its tastiness, is very inexpensive.

Ingredients for six

1 kg pork shoulder or neck 2 tsp salt 2 tsp black pepper 1 tbsp cooking oil

Roasting stock

5 cloves of garlic 4 sprigs of celery (or equivalent) 2 tbsp syrup (VHH:1/2 dl apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 onion 4 bay leaves 2 teaspoons rosemary

Cream sauce

Roasting stock 30g butter 1 tbsp flour 2 dl cream

Fry the pork in a pan with butter. Salt and pepper generously. Transfer to a suitable sized casserole in a lidded (foil covered) pan, not too big as the pork needs to float in the stock.

Peel and measure the roast meat ingredients into the pan next to the pork. Fill the pot with water until the pork is half full. Put the lid on the oven and roast in a 125C oven for 4-5 hours. Remove the pork after a couple of hours. Try towards the end of cooking. If a fork starts to sink effortlessly, the pork is starting to cook.

Remove the pork to a foil wrap and place in the oven to cool.

Stir in the roasting juices and transfer to the saucepan. Cook over a high heat until the sauce is tender.

While the broth is boiling, take the butter to soften it and stir the flour into it with a fork (the so-called roux).

Add the cream to the broth, whisk and bring to the boil. Stir the roux into the sauce a spoonful at a time and whisk in the smooth cream sauce. Check the flavour.

Slice the oven roast and serve with the cream sauce and the boiled potatoes.

Cut the roast into slices.