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Pork and potatoes

• pork belly800 g
• potatoes900 g
• salt

Parsley sauce

• butter50 g
• plain flour50 g
• milk600 ml
• flat-leaf parsley1 large bunch
• nutmeg¼ tsp
• white pepper

Pork and potatoes

1. 01

   Heat the oven to 220°C. Cut the pork belly into 1 cm slices. Salt the slices on both sides and leave them for 15 minutes, then pat dry.

2. 02

   Lay them on a rack over a tray and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until crisp and deep gold with no pink left inside. A rack lets the fat drip away, which is what makes them shatter rather than sag.

3. 03

   Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes until tender, then drain.

Parsley sauce

4. 04

   Melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes without colouring.

5. 05

   Warm the milk in a separate pan. Add it to the butter and flour a little at a time, whisking, until smooth, and simmer for 5 minutes.

6. 06

   Finely chop the parsley and stir in all of it — far more than looks right, it should turn the sauce green — with the nutmeg, salt and white pepper.

7. 07

   Serve the pork with the potatoes and the sauce poured over them, with the crisp slices kept clear of it.