Nativa Magazine > Gastronomy

Roast pork legs with herbs

Roast pork legs with herbs

The new Esporão Reserva Red 2018 is here and nothing better than a dish to suit you to taste it. A recipe to make with time, harmonized with a wine made to the rhythm of nature, at Herdade do Esporão. Try it.

Recipe and photographs by Rui Ribeiro (Faz e Come)

Ingredients (Servings: 6 Preparation time: 2 ½ hours Difficulty: medium)

  • 2 pork legs weighing a total of approx. 3 kg
  • 1 teaspoon peppercorns
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons lard
  • 30 ml olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 kg new potatoes
  • 300 g cooked and drained white beans
  • 1 sprig of fresh mint
  • 2 oranges

Directions

Place the pork legs in a saucepan, cleaned and pre-scorched.
Add the peppercorns, cover with water, season with a little salt and bring to a boil, letting simmer for approximately 1 ½ hours, or 30 minutes in a pressure cooker.
Remove and let cool slightly.

In the meantime, chop the garlic and rosemary. Add them to the lard and olive oil, blending well.

Add the ground black pepper and mix.
Place the washed potatoes in a baking pan and season with some salt.
Lay the pork legs in the centre. Make diamond-shaped cuts with a sharp knife.
Baste the pork legs with the lard mixture and place in a pre-heated oven at 200ºC for 40 minutes.
Half way through, stir the potatoes in the juices that have appeared in the pan and baste the meat with them as well. 

Make sure the meat is tender and, if necessary, leave in the oven for some minutes longer.
When it’s time to serve, sauté the beans in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper, adding the finely chopped mint leaves.
Serve with the potatoes, beans and orange wedges.

Tips

The cooking time in the oven varies depending on the meat, so you may need a little more or less time. Check, pricking the tip of a very sharp knife, which should easily penetrate the meat.

May 25, 2021