2kg boned loin of pork
3 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
Olive oil for rubbing
5 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
6 small apples, washed, dried (such as Golden Delicious or Granny Smith)
500mL apple cider vinegar
Pre-heat oven to 220 C. Place pork rack on a roasting pan, skin side up. Using a sharp knife score pork skin at 1cm intervals. Roll up pork and tie with cooking string to secure. Rub skin with oil using your fingertips and rub sea salt and fennel seeds into slashed fat to get the perfect crackling. Place pork onto a rack in a large greased baking dish. Roast for 30 minutes.
Remove roasting pan from oven, move pork to one end and tuck garlic underneath.
Lightly coat apples with oil, season well with salt and pepper and cover with foil. Arrange apples in roasting pan with pork. Reduce heat to 200 C. and continue to roast for a further 45 minutes or until pork is just cooked through and skin is golden and crispy.
Remove pork from pan, loosely covered with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Tilt roasting pan and spoon out fat. Add half the cider to pan and simmer over a medium heat, scraping pan with a spoon and turning apples occasionally until liquid is reduced and sticky. Add remaining cider and simmer for about 3 minutes.
Remove string from pork and serve with apples, garlic and cider gravy
Photo Credits: Jake
