Porchetta With Roasted Potatoes

A luxurious Italian-style roasted pork dish featuring a seasoned pork belly wrapped around a pork loin, flavored with fennel, garlic, and herbs, served with crispy roasted fingerling potatoes. This impressive main course is perfect for special occasions.

8 servings
4 hr 25 min

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup fennel fronds
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • pounds pork belly
  • pounds pork loin
  • 3 pounds fingerling potatoes
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 piece butchers twine
  • 1 pan roasting pan

Cooking Instructions

  1. 1.

    Preheat oven to 350°F and position rack in the lowest position.

    5 min

  2. 2.

    Toast fennel seeds in a small skillet over high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to cutting board along with garlic, fennel fronds, salt, and pepper and finely chop together. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and stir in oil.

    10 min

  3. 3.

    Lay pork belly on cutting board, skin side down. Holding a large sharp knife parallel to the cutting board, split the belly in half, being careful not to cut all the way through the opposite end. Open the split belly like a book and spread fennel-garlic mixture all over. Place pork loin at the end of the skinless side of the belly, and tightly roll the belly around the loin, forming a roast. The skin should almost wrap the roast completely. Using butchers' string, tightly tie the roast at 1-inch intervals.

    20 min

  4. 4.

    Transfer the porchetta to a large roasting pan and roast for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and add the potatoes and rosemary. Season with salt and toss the potatoes in the pan juices to coat. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of roast registers 165°F and potatoes are tender, about 2 hours more.

    210 min

  5. 5.

    Let the porcetta rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

    20 min