There’s nothing like a roast dinner, complete with steamed veggies and gravy to really lift the mood on a cool autumn evening. Treat the whole family to a hearty meal with this fennel, herb and balsamic flavoured feast of stuffed pork!

Serves 8
Prep 30 minutes (plus cooling)
Cook 2 hours 10 minutes

You’ll need unwaxed kitchen string.

 Ingredients

50g butter
1 small leek, trimmed, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, very thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
2kg rolled pork loin
1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
Steamed vegetables, to serve

Balsamic Gravy
25g butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 to 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Recipe supplied.
Photography by Nigel Lough.

 Method

1 Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add leek and sliced fennel. Cook, stirring for 10 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add garlic and fennel seeds. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Add breadcrumbs, walnuts and sage. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.

2 Preheat oven to 250°C/230°C fan-forced. Remove string from pork. Unroll. Pat rind dry with paper towel. Score at 1cm intervals. Place pork, skin-side down, on a board. Slice crossways through thickest part of meat, being careful not to cut the whole way through. Open out to form 1 large piece. Press stuffing over pork. Roll up to enclose. Tie up with kitchen string to secure. Place on a greased wire rack over a large flameproof roasting pan. Rub all over with salt.

3 Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Roast for a further 1 hour 30 minutes or until juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the centre of pork. Transfer to a plate. Cover with foil. Strain pan juices into a jug. Skim and discard excess fat.

4 Make Balsamic Gravy Melt butter in roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add flour. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in wine. Simmer for 1 minute. Gradually stir in stock, pan juices and vinegar. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until thickened slightly. Season. Serve pork with gravy and steamed vegetables.

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