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Meat, Italy

Porchetta with roasted potatoes

Porchetta with roasted potatoes is a boneless pork belly roast stuffed with garlic, fennel and herbs, served with potatoes cooked in its juices. It serves 4 people, takes 3 hours 10 minutes, costs €3.80 per person, and ranks as medium difficulty. The key to success is tying the roast tightly and scoring the skin well before cooking.

This Sunday, homemade porchetta, a pork roast stuffed with garlic, fennel and herbs, with roasted potatoes.

Porchetta with roasted potatoes
Total time
3 h 10
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€3.80
Calories per person
590 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall

Porchetta is the rolled Italian roast known for its crackling skin and garlicky, herb scented center. Slice into it and the fennel and sage filling unfurls in a spiral, while the meat stays moist under a skin that shatters with each bite. It takes some time, but most of that time is hands off, roasting quietly in the oven.

This is a Sunday recipe, the kind you start early afternoon so the roast can fill the house with its smell for hours. The potatoes cook right around the meat, soaking up the rendered fat, and need no extra attention to become the perfect side. It works well for guests without young kids, since garlic and fennel give it a flavor that's more grown up than mild.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Boneless pork belly 1.2 kg

Fruits and vegetables

  • Garlic 5 cloves
  • Rosemary 4 sprigs
  • Sage 6 sprigs
  • Lemon zest 1
  • Potatoes 1 kg

Pantry

  • Fennel seedsoften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Coarse saltoften in the pantry 2 tsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

The step by step recipe

  1. Crush the garlic with the fennel seeds, rosemary, sage, lemon zest and coarse salt to form a paste.

    Crush the seeds in a mortar, they release more flavor that way.

  2. Spread the paste over the meat side of the pork belly, roll it up tightly and tie the roast with kitchen string.

    Score the skin with a fork so it crisps up.

  3. Roast at 230°C for thirty minutes to sear the crust. 30 min

    Set the roast on a rack over a baking sheet.

  4. Lower the heat to 160°C, add the quartered potatoes around the roast and continue cooking. 2 h

    Turn the potatoes once, they soak up the fat from the roast.

  5. Let the roast rest for twenty minutes before slicing into rounds. 20 min

    Resting keeps the meat juicy, while the skin stays crisp.

Our tips to get it right

  • Take the pork belly out of the fridge an hour before stuffing it, it rolls more easily at room temperature.
  • Salt the skin generously right before it goes in the oven, the salt draws out moisture and helps the crackling form evenly.
  • Check doneness with a thermometer if you have one, the center should reach about 70°C before resting.

The variations

  • Swap the sage for fresh thyme if you want a milder, less earthy flavor.
  • For a faster version, ask your butcher to roll and tie the roast for you, saving about twenty minutes of prep.
  • Add carrots and red onions around the roast for more roasted vegetables alongside the potatoes.

What to serve it with

  • A lemony arugula salad
  • A glass of light red wine
  • Steamed green vegetables

Storage

The roast keeps for 3 days in the fridge, wrapped tightly or in a sealed container. It freezes well sliced, for up to 2 months. Reheat slices in a low oven to avoid drying out the meat, though the skin will lose some of its crackle.

Questions about this dish

Can you prepare the porchetta the day before?

You can stuff and tie the roast the day before, then keep it wrapped in the fridge. Take it out an hour before roasting so it doesn't go into the oven too cold.

How do you get really crackling skin?

Score the skin well with a fork before rolling the roast, then pat the surface dry with paper towels. The high heat at the start of cooking does the rest.

Can you use a different cut instead of pork belly?

Boneless pork shoulder also works well, staying moist through the long roast. Avoid leaner cuts, which tend to dry out over three hours in the oven.

Why rest the roast before slicing?

The twenty minute rest lets the juices settle back into the meat. Slice too soon and the roast loses its juices, turning drier on the plate.

How long does it take to make a homemade porchetta with roasted potatoes?

Count 3 h 10 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a homemade porchetta with roasted potatoes?

About 590 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a homemade porchetta with roasted potatoes cost?

About €3.80 per serving, or €15.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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