INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Pork leg roast, rolled loin or shoulder
• 1 large onion, sliced into wedges
• 1 bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
• 5 medium roasting potatoes such as Agria, scrubbed and cut into wedges
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Freshly cracked salt and pepper

FOR THE APPLE SAUCE:

• 2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced
• ½ cup of water
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Sugar (optional), for a taste of sweetness

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°
2. In a Lodge Cast Iron Roasting Dish, arrange the onion wedges at the bottom. Sprinkle the garlic cloves over the onions. Place the pork roast on top of the onion and garlic bed. If the pork skin hasn’t been scored, make shallow cuts using a sharp knife. Drizzle olive oil generously over the pork, rubbing it into the skin. Season the skin with plenty of freshly ground salt and pepper.
3. Place the roasting dish in the preheated oven and roast the pork for 2 hours, basting it occasionally with the juices from the bottom of the dish.
4. In the meantime, prepare the potatoes by cutting them into even wedges. After 2 hours of roasting, remove the pork from the oven. Arrange the potato wedges around the pork roast, nestling them into the pork juices to absorb the flavours and they cook. Return the dish to the oven and cook for another hour, turning the potatoes once for even cooking and browning.
5. Increase the oven temperature to 180°C and continue to cook for another 30-45 minutes, or until the potatoes turn golden and crispy, and the pork crackling is bubbling. If needed, switch the oven to the grill setting to finish off the crackling until it becomes crispy.
6. While the pork and potatoes are finishing, prepare the apple sauce. In a pot, combine the diced apples and water. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until the apples have softened and stewed down. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, and add a sprinkle of sugar if desired for a slightly sweet flavour.
7. Once the pork is fully cooked and the crackling is crispy, transfer the roast to a chopping board. Use a sharp knife to slice under the crackling, removing it from the roast. Slice the pork and serve alongside the crispy potatoes, onions, crackling, and apple sauce.