FEATURE RECIPE
Salad of pork rillettes, scratchings, potato and beetroot

Salad of pork rillettes, scratchings, potato and beetroot

The best thing about eating pork is the crackly skin and adding it to a salad is simply heaven.

Serves 6

Cooking Time Prep time 35 mins, cook 4 hrs 10 mins (plus cooling, setting)



For deep-frying:   vegetable oil
600 gm   kipfler potatoes
9   baby beetroot (about 1½ bunches)
1   radicchio, outer leaves removed
1   frisée
Pork rillettes
600 gm   piece of boneless pork belly, cut into 3cm pieces
3   thyme sprigs
2   fresh bay leaves
8   black peppercorns
Mustard and chive dressing
1 tbsp   Dijon mustard
1 tbsp   red wine vinegar
60 ml   (¼ cup) olive oil
1 tsp   brown sugar
2 tbsp   finely chopped chives


1 For pork rillettes, preheat oven to 150C. Combine ingredients in a casserole and bake, covered, until meat falls apart easily (3 hours). Remove pork from casserole, cut away skin with a knife and reserve. Shred meat with two forks, place in a bowl, season to taste, strain pan juices over meat, then cool, cover and refrigerate until set.
2 Slice reserved pork skin into strips, place on an oven tray and roast until remaining fat has rendered from skin (40-50 minutes). Heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or deep saucepan to 180C. Add pork skin and fry until crisp (1-2 minutes). Drain on absorbent paper.
3 Place potato in a saucepan, cover with cold, salted water. Bring to the simmer over medium heat, cook until tender (10-12 minutes). Drain, cool to room temperature.
4 Meanwhile, place beetroot in a separate saucepan, cover with cold, salted water. Bring to the simmer over medium heat, cook until tender (15-20 minutes). Drain, peel, halve lengthways, cool to room temperature.
5 For mustard and chive dressing, whisk mustard and vinegar in a bowl, then whisk in olive oil and brown sugar. Season to taste and stir in chives.
6 Combine radicchio, frisée, potato, rillettes, beetroot and pork skin in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine, then divide among plates, drizzle with mustard and chive dressing and serve immediately.

This recipe is from the July 2009 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

RECIPE Rodney Dunn PHOTOGRAPHY William Meppem STYLING Vanessa Austin and Rodney Dunn


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