Roasted Lemon Oregano Pork Belly with Potatoes

Pork belly has become one of my favorite meats (or should I say fats, since it’s basically half and half) to cook with. My appreciation for it fostered while I was in Thailand learning how to cook traditional Thai dishes. They use it in a lot of dishes and the various preparations of it were all yummy and gave me a few of my own ideas on how to use it with Greek flavors.

So today, as I was thinking of an upcoming gathering with friends where they will get to cook some yummy Thai food with me (and pork belly will be one of the ingredients we use), I was also thinking “um, pork belly would be so good with those common Greek flavors, such as lemon, oregano and garlic and then roasted with those yummy greek style potatoes…so, VOILA! I had to try it out for myself and it is delish!

I used gold potatoes in this recipe because I just love the buttery texture they have, and left the skin on since it has vitamins and it is not as tough as the skin of some other types of potatoes. But, if you don’t like the feel of the skin then feel free to peel them.

Of course I couldn’t stop there. I love me a good souvlaki and pita sandwich so I put it all together in some pita bread and a HUGE dollop of mock tzatziki and made me a sandwich. If you prefer, you can just cut up some warm pita bread and serve it on the side with some tzatziki (or one of my new concoctions, parsley and green onion tzatziki), feta and kalamata olives or a Greek artichoke salad…AND, if you want to go even further, pour yourself some ouzo on ice and have yourself a party! 🙂

Some tips:

Tip #1: If you don’t like finely chopping garlic you can use the small holes of a grater and grate it instead. It goes faster, and gives you the perfect small pieces.

Tip #2: Did you know that the lemon juice and the salt in the marinade will tenderize your meat? The longer you leave it the more tender it will be after you cook it…but be careful to not over due it…you don’t want your meat to have a mushy texture 🙂 .

Tip #3: Did you cut your potatoes way before it was time to use them? If so, make sure you cover them with cold water until it’s time to use them, that way they won’t get brown. When you are ready, drain the water and pat dry with paper towels so they are not wet.

You just need:

16 ounces of pork belly, cut into 1/2 inch slices and about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped, divided
2 teaspoons oregano, divided
1-2 juicy lemons, zested and juiced, divided (depending on how lemony you want it 🙂 )
1 lb of medium sized gold potatoes (or any type you have), washed well and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks/wedges
1/8 cup olive oil + a drizzle
1/8 cup chicken stock or water
Kosher salt, pepper and paprika, to taste
4 pieces of store bought or homemade pita bread or any loaf of warm crusty bread will do (optional)
feta cheese, kalamata olives, and tzatziki or mock tzatziki sauce (optional)

Steps:

Add pork belly, about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, or to taste, half each of the garlic, oregano, lemon zest and lemon juice to a mixing bowl or zipper bag. Throw in a drizzle of olive oil (just for flavor since there is enough fat on the pork belly) and mix or smoush around until the meat is all coated the rest of the ingredients.
Put pork mixture in refrigerator to marinate for 2-4 hours.
After the meat has marinated for the amount of time you want remove it from the refrigerator.
In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut your washed potatoes and mix with the rest of the garlic, oregano, lemon zest and lemon juice, chicken stock, 1/8th cup of olive oil and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, or to taste. Mix well. You don’t want to cut your potatoes ahead of time because they will turn brown. If you do cut them before your meat has finished marinating make sure you read Tip #3 above 🙂 .
Put your potatoes in a pan and top with the slices of pork belly, in a single layer and cover with foil.
Cook for 45 minutes then remove the foil, stir and make sure to bring the meat back to the top of the potatoes and cook for and additional 15 more minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Set oven to broil until pork belly and potatoes are golden brown, approximately 7 minutes. Keep an eye on it though, so it doesn’t burn.
Serve on a platter accompanied by feta, olives and tzatziki and served with crusty bread for dipping in the juices or wrap it in pita bread, sprinkle with paprika and some crumbled feta cheese and add a pile of tzatziki, in this case I used my mock tzatziki! Or you can use a sriracha ketchup mayo as the sauce…um, that would be good too.

Kali Orexi!