In my mind there's no roast like Roast Pork. Crisp crackling surrounding succulent tender meat stuffed with nuts and glace fruit, it's just the best. Follow the directions closely to get the "best ever" crisp crackling and save all the juices for a truly delicious gravy.

Ingredients

• 2.5 kg boned loin pork*
• 1 lemon, halved
• about 2 tblsp salt

Stuffing

• 25 grams butter
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 70 gram packet pecans, roasted (see Cook\'s Tip)
• 2 slices glace or crystallised pineapple
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 egg yolk
• salt and pepper to season

Gravy

• juices from cooking
• about 1½ cups chicken stock
• 3 tblsp pork fat from cooking
• 3 tblsp flour
• salt and pepper

Method

Stuffing

1. Heat the butter in a frying pan and cook the onion over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes until the onion has softened but is not brown. Cool.
2. Finely chop the pecans and the glace pineapple and add to the pan with the parsley, egg yolk and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Leave to cool.

Pork

1. Place the pork skin side down on a chopping board and open out. Spread the cool stuffing down the centre of the loin, close to the thick loin edge.
2. Roll the loin up and secure by tying with string.
3. Squeeze lemon juice all over the skin and then rub liberally with salt.
4. Place on a foil-lined baking tray and place at the top of a 220°C oven for 30 minutes.
5. Reduce temperature to 180°C and cook a further 2 hours. Stand for 20 minutes while preparing the gravy and before carving.

Gravy

1. Strain off the juices from the cooking and leave the fat to separate from the juice. Drain away all but 3 tablespoons of the fat. Make the juice up to 2 cups with the chicken stock.
2. Heat the fat in a saucepan or in the roasting pan. Add the flour and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes.
3. Gradually stir in the juice and stock then simmer gently for 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Strain if wished.

Cooks Tips

- Have your butcher score the rind for you and make sure you purchase a piece that has a long flap otherwise you will not have enough length to enclose the stuffing. - To roast pecans, place them in a 180ºC oven and cook for 10 minutes. Allow them to cool before chopping (chopping them too hot will make them become paste-like).