Cajun Pork Belly, Cowboy Beans and Baked Onion and Cheese Potatoes.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

For the pork belly and potatoes:

800g Pork Belly, left flat, boneless with the rind on.

1 Large white onion or 2 small

1 Bulb of garlic

2 tsp Smoked paprika

1.5 tsp Onion powder

0.5 tsp Chilli powder

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Coarsely ground black pepper

2 tsp Chopped thyme

4 sprigs Thyme

2 Large baking potatoes

100g Grated cheddar cheese

2 spring onions, sliced

For the cowboy beans:

2 Red onions, chopped into half, then each half into four.

2 Cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp Smoked Paprika

1 tsp Mustard powder

50ml White wine vinegar

50g Dark brown sugar

100ml Strong black Coffee

200ml Chicken stock

400g Tin of cooked mixed beans

400g Tin of baked beans

12 Padron peppers

Salt and Pepper to season

Method:

For the pork and potatoes:

• The day before cooking, score the pork with a sharp knife or razor, cutting the rind width ways through to the fat. Liberally salt the skin and place on a wire rack over a tray in the fridge. Leave overnight.
• The next day remove the pork from the fridge, leaving it on the wire rack. Boil a full kettle and pour the boiling water over the pork and pat dry with paper towels when cooled.
• Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees C, gas mark 6
• Make the Cajun spice mix by combining the Smoked paprika, onion powder, chilli powder, chopped thyme, salt and pepper.
• Rub the spice mix into the pork, making sure to cover all the flesh and get in between the scored rind.
• Chop the onion into 4 rounds and the garlic bulb horizontally and along with thyme sprigs lay in the bottom of a baking tray, place the pork on top.
• Cut the potatoes in half length ways and lay flat side down around the pork.

• Place the Baking tray into the top of the pre-heated oven, cook on 200 degrees C for 30 minutes then reduce the temperature to 150 degrees C, Gas mark 2. Cook for a further 60 minutes.

For the Cowboy Beans:

• Heat a saucepan until smoking hot, add a table spoon of oil and brown the outside of the padron peppers in batches, set them to one side.

• Add the red onion to the pan and brown the onions, add the garlic, smoked paprika, mustard powder, stir for 30 seconds.
• Add the vinegar, coffee and brown sugar. Reduce by half and add the chicken stock.
• Bring back to the boil and and add the baked beans and mixed beans. Season with salt and pepper.
• Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring regularly and adding water if becoming too dry.

To finish:

• Remove the pork tray from the oven and place the pork on a plate to rest.
• Turn the potatoes flat side up using a spatula and place one of the cooked onion rings from underneath the pork on top. Sprinkle with cheese to top all the potatoes and place back into the oven for 10 minutes while the pork rests.

• Sprinkle the spring onions onto the potatoes when they come out of the oven, slice the pork and add the padron peppers to the cowboy beans just before serving.