Diced Pork

We dice all our meats in the shop so we can trace exactly where it’s from and which part of the animal they’re cut from. Ours is a mixture of shoulder and leg.

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
1kg diced pork shoulder
20g butter, cubed, plus a little extra
3 leeks, trimmed and thickly sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp plain flour
500ml dry cider
400ml chicken stock
2 bay leaves
½ small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
small bunch of sage, leaves picked, 5 left whole, the rest chopped
200ml single cream
450g Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes
350g sweet potatoes

Method

STEP 1
Heat half of the oil in a deep ovenproof frying pan, or flameproof casserole dish, and fry the diced pork pieces over medium-high heat in batches until seared all over, then transfer to a plate. Add another 1 tbsp oil to the pan, if you need to, while you’re cooking the batches. Once all the pork is seared, transfer it to a plate and set aside.

STEP 2
Add another 1 tbsp oil to the pan with a little butter and fry half the leeks with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until tender. Add the garlic, fry for a minute, and then stir in the flour.

STEP 3
Pour in the cider, a little at a time, stirring to pick up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and to combine everything. Add the stock, bay leaves and seared pork, then simmer, half-covered with a lid for 1-1½ hrs until the meat is just tender (it will later cook to the point of falling apart in the oven). Can be prepared a day ahead.

STEP 4
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Simmer uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the sauce, if you need to – it shouldn’t be too liquid or the potatoes will sink into the sauce. Stir in the parsley, chopped sage, remaining leeks, and cream, then season well.

STEP 5
Peel both types of potatoes and cut them into slices 2mm thick, by hand or using a mandoline. Alternate layers of potato and sweet potato in circles over the pie, or randomly, if you prefer. Dot the cubed butter over the top and bake for 1-1½ hrs until the potato is tender. Nestle in the whole sage leaves, brushed in a little oil, for the last 10 mins. Leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.