Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder Hotpot

This Irish pork and leek hotpot is a comforting, hearty dish. Tender pork shoulder is simmered with leeks, garlic, and fresh herbs in a rich cider and chicken stock sauce, with a touch of double cream for smoothness. Topped with thinly sliced rooster potatoes, it bakes to golden perfection, creating a warming meal perfect for cosy nights.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 kilogram of Irish diced pork shoulder
• 20 grams butter, cubed, plus a little extra
• 4 leeks, trimmed and thickly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons of plain flour
• 500 millilitres of dry cider
• 400 millilitres of chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Fresh sage, leaves picked; 5 left whole, the rest chopped
• Fresh thyme
• 100 millilitres of double cream
• 80 grams of rooster potatoes

Steps

1. Heat half the olive oil in a deep ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole dish. Fry the pork pieces in batches over medium-high heat until seared all over, then transfer each batch to a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil as needed for each batch. Once all the pork is seared, set it aside.
2. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan with a little butter, then fry half of the leeks with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the flour.
3. Pour in the cider a little at a time, stirring to lift any bits stuck to the bottom and to combine everything well. Add the stock, bay leaves, and seared pork, then simmer, half-covered, for 1 to 1½ hours until the meat is just tender (it will continue to cook until falling apart in the oven).
4. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) or gas mark 6. If needed, simmer the sauce uncovered for a few minutes to reduce it slightly; it shouldn’t be too liquid, or the potatoes will sink. Stir in the parsley, chopped sage, the remaining leeks, and the single cream. Season well with salt and pepper.
5. Peel the potatoes and slice into 2mm thick rounds by hand or with a mandolin. Arrange alternate layers of potato in circles over the top of the pie, or arrange randomly if preferred. Dot the cubed butter over the top and bake for 1 to 1½ hours until the potatoes are tender. In the last 10 minutes of baking, brush the whole sage leaves with a little oil and nestle them in. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving.