Stuffed Pork Roast with Apple Sauce

Preheat oven to 220°C and lightly grease a roasting pan with oil. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and cook the bacon rashers for about 5 minutes until slightly crispy.

Add the chopped onion and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, the sage, and the dried cranberries and cook for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and add the spinach and breadcrumbs, stirring until it’s combined and the spinach is slightly wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

On a clean surface, place the boned pork. Butterfly it skin side down.  Open up with a carving knife, cut a flap on both sides and level it if one higher.

Level it with a meat mallet until about 2cm thick, but don’t flatten it

Place the stuffing in the centre and tightly roll to enclose, securing with kitchen string.

Now rub the pork with the remaining oil and sea salt, using your hands. Add some olive oil to large frying pan and heat until hot.

Brown the outside of the meat until somewhat crispy. Transfer to the roasting pan and roast in the oven for 1 hour.

Reduce the heat to 180°C and cook for a further 30 to 45 minutes until the pork is tender and cooked.

Transfer to a serving platter, cover with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the string just before serving. While the meat is resting, prepare the apple sauce.

In a large saucepan, heat the butter and sauté the apples for 4 minutes. Pour in the apple juice, apple cider vinegar and chicken stock, stirring until mixed.

Simmer for 5 minutes until reduced in amount. Add dijon, wholegrain mustard and pan juices of the pork. Season with salt and pepper and a bit of sugar. 

Simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and strain through a sieve into a serving jug. (Jug can be kept warm in oven at 70 degrees (if a skin forms take a wet finger and gently rub the skin and it will adhere. Lift the skin away.)