Crispy Roast Piglet with Potato Dumplings and Beer Sauce

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg pork shoulder (with rind)
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 onions
• 1 bunch mirepoix vegetables
• 50 g rye bread crust
• 0.5 l dark beer
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 2 slices toast bread
• 2 tbsp butter
• 800 g starchy potatoes
• 1 egg
• 80 g flour
• nutmeg
• 4 Tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp freshly chopped parsley
• 1 tsp cornstarch (for the sauce)
• parsley (for serving)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat oven to 200°C with upper and lower heat. Score the rind of the meat in a diamond pattern and rub all over with pepper and cumin. Wash, trim, and finely chop the vegetables and bread crust. Mix beer with 750 ml water. Heat clarified butter in a large roasting pan and brown the roast all around; remove, add the vegetables, sauté until translucent, pour in half of the beer mixture, place the meat rind-side down on top, and bake for about 1 hour. Flip the meat, add more liquid, and cook another 45 minutes, lowering temperature to 170°C. Meanwhile, cube toast bread and roast with 1–2 tbsp butter in a pan; stir in parsley.

2. 2.

   Shred potatoes after boiling for 30 minutes in salted water. Drain and let steam. Pass through a potato press. Add egg, season with salt and nutmeg, mix, and knead with flour into a smooth dough. Adjust flour as needed. Shape small portions of dough into flat discs, fill each with a few croutons, and form into dumplings. After cooking time ends, whisk 1 tbsp salt with about 100–150 ml water and brush the meat rind with it. Place meat on a platter and finish baking for 20 minutes; if needed, re‑baste with salted water after 10 minutes to keep the crust crisp. Simultaneously, cook dumplings in plenty of simmering salted water for about 20 minutes. Reduce remaining pan liquid into sauce, strain, whisk cornstarch with cold water, stir into boiling sauce, bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper. Slice meat, melt remaining butter, mix with breadcrumbs. Plate meat with sauce and dumplings, sprinkle breadcrumbs over dumplings, garnish with parsley.