Christmas Feast – Pork Rack Roast, Maple Sweet Potatoes, Tuscan Kale

by Leah Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • PORK
  • 8-bone pork rack, French trimmed (approx. 3 kg)
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp fine salt
  • MAPLE-GLAZED SWEET POTATOES WITH LIME AND COCONUT
    • 8 small sweet potatoes
  • 100g unsalted butter
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • finely-grated zest and juice of 2 limes
  • ¼ tsp ground cardamom
  • sea salt flakes and freshly-ground white pepper
  • ¼ cup coconut flakes
  • SAUTEED TUSCAN KALE IN GARLIC AND LEMON
    • 2 bunches Tuscan kale (cavalo nero)
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 2 Tbsp pine nuts
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch chives, finely sliced

Instructions

PORK

1 Purchase your pork at least one day before you intend to cook it. One day ahead, use a sharp knife to cut fine parallel lines through the skin, then arrange on a wire rack over a tray and place unwrapped in the fridge overnight to dry out.
2 Preheat oven to 230°C. Drizzle the pork with oil, then rub with fine salt. Place on a rack over an oven tray, then bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 200°C, then bake for a further 45 minutes. Increase heat to 230°C again, then bake for a final 20 minutes. Rest in a warm, but nit hot, place for 20 minutes, before serving.

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MAPLE-GLAZED SWEET POTATOES WITH LIME AND COCONUT

1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a lined oven tray and bake for 90 minutes, until the skin is dark and the sweet potatoes are tender. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes, then use a small knife to remove the skins. Arrange in a lined baking dish.
2 Meanwhile, combine the butter, maple syrup, lime juice and cardamom in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Drizzle over the sweet potatoes, then bake for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then scatter with coconut flakes and lime zest to serve.

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SAUTEED TUSCAN KALE IN GARLIC AND LEMON

1 Sauté the kale in a large frying pan over a high heat fin extra virgin olive oil for 3 minutes, until just wilted. Add the lemon zest, pine nuts and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice, scatter with sliced chives, then serve.