Stegt Flæsk med Persillesovs
Crisp fried pork belly slices with boiled potatoes and a creamy parsley sauce, the dish most Danes would call their national comfort food.
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total
- 45 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
This is the dish Danes vote their national favourite more often than any other: pork belly fried until the fat turns to crackling, laid over boiled potatoes, and finished with a parsley sauce built on a simple butter-and-flour roux.
The only real technique is starting the pork in a cold pan so the fat renders out slowly instead of seizing and burning before the inside cooks through.
Part of our 20 best Danish recipes list.
method
Salt the pork belly slices on both sides and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Put the potatoes in salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer 15-20 minutes until tender; drain.
Lay the pork belly in a cold, dry frying pan in a single layer, then set over medium heat so the fat renders slowly as the pan warms.
Fry 15-20 minutes, turning once, until deeply golden and crisp, pouring off excess fat partway through.
Transfer to a wire rack, season with pepper, and keep warm.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, whisk in the flour, and cook 1 minute without colouring.
Whisk in the milk gradually until smooth, then simmer 5-8 minutes, stirring often, until it coats the back of a spoon.
Stir in the parsley, season with salt and pepper, and serve over the potatoes alongside the pork belly.
chef's tips
- Starting the pork in a cold pan is what renders the fat properly - a hot pan from the start burns the surface before the fat melts.
- Pour off rendered fat partway through frying so the slices crisp rather than shallow-fry in their own grease.