This is the most divine way to prepare pork, roasted with the apple cider vinegar which cuts through and balances out the fattiness of the pork beautifully. Spanish slow roasted pork shoulder in apple cider vinegar, served with crispy paprika potatoes. Perfect for Selaks NZ Roast Day, coming up soon Sunday August 7th.

erves 8-10

To make Spanish Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder, you will need:

1.8 – 2kg pork shoulder, bone in

2 red capsicums, deseeded and sliced.

1 whole garlic bulb, broken into cloves

8 large tomatoes, halved (or 400g can whole tomatoes)

2 bay leaves

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups water 

How to make Spanish Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C.

Prepare the pork by patting it dry with paper towels then scoring the skin in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife.

Scatter the capsicum slices and whole garlic cloves into the base of roasting pan. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, paprika and salt.

Place the pork on top of the vegetables and pour in the cider vinegar, top up with the water. Cover and seal with a double layer of foil and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Remove the foil, cook for a further 20-30 minutes until the meat is well-browned, and the juices are reduced. If you prefer, crackle the skin by grilling under a hot grill until it crisps.

Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the pork onto a board to rest. Cover with a layer of tinfoil and a tea towel to keep it warm and leave for 10 minutes.

To serve, pull the pork apart (as opposed to trying to slice it) and serve with the hot and tart juices, garlic, tomatoes and capsicum.

NICI WICKES’ SPANISH SLOW ROASTED PORK SHOULDER BRAISED IN APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Wine match: Selaks Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Serve with:

TWICE-COOKED CRISPY PAPRIKA POTATOES

The best roasted potatoes are cooked twice, or even thrice so say all the best chefs around the world! I learnt that to make crunchy roasted potatoes the trick is to boil the heck out of them first. The amazing chef Heston Blumenthal talked me through the recipe when I interviewed him and I’ve been doing them like that ever since. These roasted beauties, spiked with paprika, are immensely pleasurable and add a comforting, tasty crunch to any meal.

To make crispy paprika potatoes, you will need:

2 peeled agria potatoes per person (or other roasting potato), cut into chunks

¼ cup rice bran oil

½ tsp paprika

Sea salt

Juice of one lemon

How to make crispy paprika potatoes:

Pre-heat oven to 220 C.

Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until they are rough around the edges and nearly falling apart – about 20-30 minutes.

Drain potatoes and transfer to a roasting pan.

Toss with oil, paprika and salt until potatoes are well coated with the oil and seasoning.

Roast for 30 minutes or until potatoes are crispy on the outside.

Remove from oven and whilst still hot, squeeze over lemon juice before serving.

These potatoes can be served hot, warm or even cold.