Roasted Whole Pork Shoulder with Buttery Hasselback Potatoes
Pork shoulder is perfect when serving a crowd. It has more flavour than most other cuts, cooks to a lip-smacking succulence, and boasts skin that crisps to golden crackling. Here, we pair it with rich and delicious roast hasselback potatoes.
Serves: 12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Ingredients:
For the Pork:
8kg shoulder of pork (bone-in, skin-on)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or rosemary), finely chopped
For the Potatoes:
12 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and washed
100g unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme (or rosemary), finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Optional: Grated Parmesan (to sprinkle on top)
Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C).
Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels to ensure the skin is as dry as possible. This helps achieve crispy crackling. Using a sharp knife, score the skin, being careful not to cut into the meat.
Rub the pork with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, ensuring the seasoning gets into the scored skin and the meat beneath. Sprinkle over the fresh thyme and fennel seeds (optional).
Place the pork shoulder on a rack in a roasting tray, skin-side up.
Roast at 220°C for 30 minutes to start crisping the skin.
After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 160°C and continue roasting for 3.5–4 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 75°C and the crackling is golden and crispy.
Once cooked, remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
For the potatoes: Slice each potato crosswise into thin slices (3-4mm apart), but leave about 1cm at the base intact so the potatoes stay together. Place the potatoes on a baking tray.
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, olive oil, minced garlic, chopped thyme, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, then brush the mixture generously over each potato, ensuring some butter gets between the slices. Spoon any remaining butter over the tops of the potatoes.
Place the potatoes in the oven an hour before removing the pork, roasting them at 160°C for 60 minutes. Once the pork is removed, increase the temperature to 200°C and cook for a further 15 minutes while the pork rests.
To serve, carve the roasted pork shoulder into slices, ensuring each portion includes some of the crispy crackling. Serve the buttery hasselback potatoes alongside the pork with other vegetables or a salad.
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Roasted Whole Pork Shoulder with Buttery Hasselback Potatoes
Ingredients
- 8kg shoulder of pork (bone-in, skin-on)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or rosemary), finely chopped
- 12 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and washed
- 100g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme (or rosemary), finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
- Optional: Grated Parmesan (to sprinkle on top)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C).
- Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels to ensure the skin is as dry as possible. This helps achieve crispy crackling. Using a sharp knife, score the skin, being careful not to cut into the meat.
- Rub the pork with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, ensuring the seasoning gets into the scored skin and the meat beneath. Sprinkle over the fresh thyme and fennel seeds (optional).
- Place the pork shoulder on a rack in a roasting tray, skin-side up.
- Roast at 220°C for 30 minutes to start crisping the skin.
- After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 160°C and continue roasting for 3.5–4 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 75°C and the crackling is golden and crispy.
- Once cooked, remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
- Slice each potato crosswise into thin slices (3-4mm apart), but leave about 1cm at the base intact so the potatoes stay together. Place the potatoes on a baking tray.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, olive oil, minced garlic, chopped thyme, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, then brush the mixture generously over each potato, ensuring some butter gets between the slices. Spoon any remaining butter over the tops of the potatoes.
- Place the potatoes in the oven an hour before removing the pork, roasting them at 160°C for 60 minutes. Once the pork is removed, increase the temperature to 200°C and cook for a further 15 minutes while the pork rests.
- To serve, carve the roasted pork shoulder into slices, ensuring each portion includes some of the crispy crackling. Serve the buttery hasselback potatoes alongside the pork with other vegetables or a salad.
