Cheesey Pork Fillet with Garlic Roast Potatoes

The most important thing to remember when cooking pork is that it must never be underdone. Just like chicken and unlike such as beef, pork must be cooked all the way through to eliminate the risk of food poisoning. This recipe includes first cooking the pork and then adding a delicious cheese and sage topping as a finishing touch.

Ingredients

1 pork leg fillet
1 large potato (unpeeled and chopped)
1 tbsp frozen peas
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1oz cheddar (or other hard) cheese (grated or shredded)
Pinch of dried sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp sunflower oil and a little more for frying

Method

Place a baking tray in to the oven and put the oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6. Chop the potato in to bite-sized portions and put them in a large bowl with the sunflower oil and some salt. Swirl them around to ensure even coating with the oil and salt. Tip the potatoes on to the preheated baking tray and put them in to the oven for a total of thirty minutes, taking them out to give them a gentle shake and ensure even cooking every ten minutes. Set the bowl aside (unwashed) for later use.

When the potatoes have been on for ten minutes, put a little sunflower in a non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Fry the pork fillet gently for ten minutes each side or until done. Set aside to rest.

When the fillet is cooked, the potatoes should have about five minutes to go. Add the garlic to the unwashed bowl then remove the potatoes from the oven and add them also to the bowl. Swirl or stir them in the garlic mix to cover them, then return to the tray and the oven for five more minutes. Adding the garlic at this late stage prevents it from becoming over-cooked and tasting bitter.

Mix the cheese with the sage and some freshly ground black pepper. Carefully press the mix down on top of the pork fillet and place the fillet on to a grill pan and under a hot grill until the cheese melts and begins to bubble.

The frozen peas should be cooked per the instructions on the packet, usually by boiling them in water for two to three minutes.

Plate up your meal as shown and serve immediately.

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