This is a wonderful winter recipe. The great thing about this recipe, apart from the rich taste, is the fact that you can just leave it alone for the entire cooking time (about 3 hours) so you can spend the time with your guests or family instead of in the kitchen. The smell of this dish is wonderful, and because it cooks long and slow, tends to fill the whole house with a wonderful aroma. If you are having trouble finding a dry cider, use a dry white wine diluted 50/50 with water instead. The taste is slightly different, but just as good in it’s own way. This will serve 4.

You will need:

Equipment:

• A large skillet or heavy frying pan
• A sharp knife
• A cutting board
• A large casserole dish with a lid
• A slotted spoon
• A bowl

Ingredients:

• 4 pork spare rib chops or belly pork strips
• 6 slices un-smoked bacon
• 1 cooking apple, peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 onions
• chopped
• ¼ pint cider (dry cider is best) Hard Apple Cider for my American readers)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 ½ lb potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Salt and pepper

First, prepare the fruit and vegetables and set aside. Preheat the oven to 275F. Leave the apples and potatoes in a bowl covered with water to stop them from discoloring. Next, heat some oil in a skillet and fry the pork until brown on the outside. Now, place the browned pork in a casserole dish and in the same pan, fry the bacon lightly until starting to brown. We do not want the bacon crispy though. Transfer to the casserole and place on top of the pork. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the garlic on top and then cover with the apple and onion c=slices. Next add the cider, then lastly, cover the top with a layer of potato slices. Spread a few dabs of butter on the top, sprinkle with another little salt and pepper and cover. Make sure the lid is a tight fit. If it’s a little loose, just place a layer of aluminum foil under the lid. Place in a preheated oven and cook for 3 hours.

Near the end of the cooking time, heat the broiler to maximum heat, remove the lid from the casserole dish and brown the potatoes under the broiler for about 10 minutes, until the top is brown and crispy. Sprinkle a little thyme over the top before serving. Serve with fresh hot French bread, some apple sauce and a green side salad.

Bon Apetit!