Name: Pork fillet and cider apple gravy
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2kg loin of pork; Salt and pepper; 20ml groundnut oil; 2 thyme sprigs; For the cider apple gravy; 1 to 2 tbsp groundnut oil; 500g pork bones (ask your butcher), chopped small; 1 large onion, peeled and chopped; 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped; 1 Granny Smith apple, chopped; 1 celery stick, chopped; 2 garlic gloves, peeled and crushed; 1 bay leaf; 300ml dry cider; 400ml chicken stock; For the apple and tarragon compote; 6 Granny Smith apples; 20g unsalted butter; 75ml dry cider; 3 tarragon sprigs, blanched (briefly in boiling water) drained and chopped; 1 to 2 tsp soft brown sugar (preferably muscovado)

1) Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Season the pork loin generously with salt, rubbing it in well to encourage a crispy crackling, then season with pepper. Place the roasting tray or large ovenproof pan over a high heat, add the groundnut oil and heat almost to smoking.

2) Add the pork carefully and brown on all sides. Transfer the pan to the oven, add the thyme sprigs and roast for 2 1/2 hours, or until the pork crackling is crispy.

3) In the meantime, prepare the cider apple gravy. Place a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat and heat up, and then add the oil. When it is almost smoking, add the pork bones and cook, stirring frequently, until they are deep golden in colour.

4) Add the vegetables and garlic and saute. Add the bay leaf, cider and stock and heat through.

5) Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan and simmer to reduce by at least half, to thicken and concentrate the flavour; keep warm.

For the tarragon compote:
1) Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Melt the butter in a saute pan over a low heat, add the apples and cook for about 6–8 minutes or until they start to release their juice, then add the cider.

2) Cover and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for a further 10–12 minutes or until the apples are just tender but still holding their shape. Take off the heat. Add the tarragon sugar and fork through, keeping the apple pieces fairly chunky.

To serve:
1) Remove the pork from the oven, transfer to a warmed platter and rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan, and then add the meat juices to the cider gravy.

2) Carve the pork, first removing the crackling in one piece to make easy to serve.

3) Arrange the pork slices on warmed serving plates. Add a portion of crackling and your choice of vegetables to each plate. Serve immediately with the cider apple gravy and the apple and tarragon compote.