Pot-Roasted Pork Loin with Bay Leaves & Fino Sherry & Saffron Potatoes

Ingredients
Pot-Roasted Pork
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.5kg pork loin, skin removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
6 fresh bay leaves
1 cup fino sherry
1/2 cup chicken stock
Saffron Potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
pinch of saffron, dry toasted and soaked in 2 tablespoons boiling water for 20 minutes
1kg Agria or other floury potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken stock

Method
Pot-Roasted Pork
Grind the fennel and coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle until quite fine then rub over the pork. Tie the pork with string to keep it in a round shape. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a casserole and brown the pork, fat side first, until lightly coloured. Remove from the casserole and set aside. Gently sauté the onions and bay leaves in the casserole until the onion is soft. Add the pork and fino sherry. Bring to the boil then add the chicken stock. Bring back to the boil then cover and pot-roast gently for 40 minutes or until the pork is tender, turning over halfway through cooking. Set aside for 20 minutes to rest (in the sauce).

Remove the string from the pork and slice thinly to serve with some of the onion and sherry sauce (you can reduce the sauce slightly if you prefer). Serve with the saffron potatoes and braised vegetables (recipes below). Serves 6.

Saffron Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a large sauté pan heat the olive oil and sauté the onions until soft. Add the saffron, cook for a minute then add the potatoes and cook until they have a little colour (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper then place in a baking dish. Add the stock, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil then bake for another 10 minutes.

Roast Lamb Shanks with a Secret

Step 1 Get them Crispy and brown! (This is where flavor comes from)
4 Lamb Shanks
4 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Red Onion
Pinch of Salt Preheat your oven to 220 ° Celsius
Slice onions in thick rings and lay them at the bottom of a roasting tray. (This is to get your Shanks to stand upright on the tray while they cook).
Sprinkle the shanks with the sugar and salt and the onions will absorb the lovely juices that run out.
Cook until Golden brown roughly half an hour.

Step 2 Finishing touches… 
4 Crispy shanks, lie them down flat in the tray (keep the onions)
4 Cloves of Garlic unpeeled
3 Large Carrots cut into chunky "rustic" pieces
1 Stick of Celery cut into similar sized pieces
2 Bay leaves,
4 Peppercorns,
2 Tbsp Paprika,
½ Tbsp Cinnamon,
2 Tbsp Cumin,
1 Tbsp Nutmeg,
½ Tbsp Salt.
1 Whole Tomato roughly chopped
250 ml's red cooking wine
250 ml's Chicken stock
1 Whole Orange quartered including rind
A little water to cover them completely, tinfoil over and into the oven for 3 hours they go.

Serve with mashed potatoes and mint jelly. Very good with a glass of Pinot Noir.



Enjoy!