This low-lift, crowd-pleasing main is an affordable yet impressive dish for fall hosting

This minimum-fuss pork belly recipe is cooked the Italian way: rolled with lots of herbs, but pretty much left to speak for itself. So, this is the time to buy the best-quality belly of pork you can. Luckily with belly being such an economical cut, you won’t need to break the bank.

Ingredients

• For the pork
  • ¾ oz (20 g) fresh sage, leaves picked and finely chopped (about ½ cup loosely packed)
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped (about 2 Tbsp)
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 7.5lb boneless pork belly, rind/skin on (ask your butcher to score the rind)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For the apples and onions
  • 3 small red apples, halved
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 3 red onions, quartered
  • 3 large sprigs rosemary
  • 3 small sprigs bay (or 3 dried bay leaves)
  • 2 Tbsp (25 g) unsalted butter
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

The Homes & Gardens method (serves 6)

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• In a small bowl, mix together the sage, chopped rosemary, fennel seeds, garlic, and 1 Tbsp olive oil.
• Place the pork belly on a board, rind/skin side down. Rub the herb mixture all over the meat. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Roll the pork up into a long roast shape (like a roulade) and tie securely with kitchen string (this butcher's twine from Amazon is ideal). Rub the outside skin with the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
• Place the pork in a large roasting pan (this Cuisinart roasting pan from Amazon was named best value pan by our testers in our best turkey roasting pan guide) and roast for 20 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and roast for another 2½ hours.
• Meanwhile, toss the apple halves with lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain off the juice, then toss the apples with maple syrup and a pinch of salt.
• Add the apples, onions, rosemary, and bay to the roasting pan with the pork. Dot the butter over the apples and onions and drizzle with olive oil.
• Increase the oven temperature back to 400°F (200°C) and roast for another 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and caramelized and the pork rind is crisp (crackling).
• Remove from oven, rest 10–15 minutes, then slice and serve with the roasted apples and onions. (This ceramic serving platter from Amazon is currently on sale and perfect for the table.)

If you love baked seasonal fruit in meat dishes, try our recipe for whole baked pears with Italian sausage, which is another beautifully easy seasonal dish.