Roast Pork Rack with apples and Sage

Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 2 kg pork rack (10 cutlets) with skin on
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 4 green apples, cored and quartered
• 2 tablespoons sage leaves
• 3 – 4 oranges – using the zest and juice
• Another 2 – 3 oranges, cut into slices
• 250 ml Cranberry Sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Cloves (to taste)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180^oC
2. Use a sharp knife to score the pork skin at ½ cm intervals
3. Rub the pork with the oil, salt and pepper
4. Stuff the scores in the pork fat with some cloves and also put some cloves into the flesh of the pork meat – be careful not to overdo the amount of cloves put into the fat and the meat, as cloves have a very strong and overpowering taste
5. Place the pork on a rack in a baking dish and roast for 30 minutes (the skin must start crackling)
6. Place the apples, sage, orange zest, orange juice, orange slices, cranberry sauce and sugar in a bowl and toss to combine
7. Put the slices of apples and orange as well as some sage leaves on top of the roast to allow the flavours to penetrate the roast during cooking
8. Also drizzle the sauce over the roast to allow further flavours to combine with those of the pork
9. Pack the rest of the apples and orange around the roast at the base of the roasting dish, to allow flavours to penetrate the pork from all angles
10. Roast  the pork for the further 25 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and the apples are tender
11. Serve with some fresh Sage leaves on top for garnish