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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.