Stegt flæsk med persillesovs
Danish pork belly, roasted with the skin on and served with parsley sauce—Denmark’s national dish.
Ingredients
For the Pork
- 900 g fresh boneless, skin-on pork belly sliced; about 2 lb
- Salt
- Coarse salt
For the Potatoes
- 1 kg medium potatoes 2¼ lb
- Salt
For the Parsley Sauce
- 35 g butter 2½ tablespoons
- 30 g all-purpose flour ¼ cup
- 500 ml milk 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 bunch fresh parsley large bunch
- Salt
- White pepper
Instructions
Preparing the Pork
- Preheat the oven to 400°F on the convection setting (200°C).
- If you haven’t bought the pork belly already sliced, cut it into slices about 1 cm (⅜ inch) thick.
- Arrange the pork slices in a parchment-lined baking pan, overlapping them slightly, and roast for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and rearrange the slices so they lie side by side on the parchment. If the meat has released any watery liquid, blot it up with paper towels. Roast for another 15 minutes.At this stage, you can also season the meat with regular salt to taste if the coarse salt added at the end won’t be enough for you.
- Remove the pan and turn the pork slices over. If a lot of fat has rendered out, pour it off. Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 15–20 minutes. When you take it out, sprinkle the pork with coarse salt.The cooking time at this point depends very much on the thickness of the slices and whether you prefer them crisper or juicier. During this final stage, check the meat every 5 minutes and take it out when it looks right.
Cooking the Potatoes
- While the pork is roasting, peel the potatoes and leave them whole.
- Start them in cold, generously salted water and boil until completely tender, about 20–25 minutes, depending on their size.Check them with a knife or skewer to see whether they’re cooked rather than relying on the clock.
- Once the potatoes are done, drain them and keep them covered and warm until serving.
Making the Parsley Sauce
- During the final stage of roasting the pork, finely chop the fresh parsley.
- Heat the milk until hot in a separate container, either in the microwave or on the stove.
- For the béchamel base, melt the butter and add the flour. Cook over medium-high heat for about 30–60 seconds to cook off the flour’s raw taste.
- Pour the hot milk into the butter-and-flour mixture all at once and stir very quickly. Season with salt and white pepper.If you’ve done it right, this method gives you a lump-free béchamel. But you can always blend it with an immersion blender for a completely smooth consistency.
- Bring to a boil while stirring, then cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. If it’s too thick, thin it with a little milk.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the finely chopped fresh parsley.
Serving
- Divide the pork and whole potatoes among the plates, then pour a generous amount of parsley sauce over the potatoes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!