Braised Pork with Fennel and Apple

By johandi

Ingredients

• 1 bulb fennel, trimmed, halved lengthwise and cored, plus chopped leafy fronds
• for sprinkling
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound pork stew meat or boneless pork shoulder/butt, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 apple — peeled, cored and cut into 10 to 12 wedges
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 pound small russet potatoes (about 3)

Details

Adapted from buzzfeed.com

Preparation

Step 1

Position the fennel halves, cut-side down, on a cutting board. Thinly slice the
bulbs lengthwise 1/4-inch thick (see photos below for what this should look like); do not separate the segments if attached at the core. Set aside.
Coat the bottom of a dutch oven with olive oil (about 2 tablespoons for a 5-
quart pot) and place over high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Once
the oil is hot (a drop of water will cause the oil to spit and sizzle when it’s ready),
add the pork in an even layer without overcrowding the pan (do this in batches, if
needed) and cook until browned in spots on all sides, about 12 minutes; transfer
to a bowl.
Immediately add the onion and fennel to the pan, season with salt and cook,
stirring, until the pan is dry with lots of browned bits collected on the pan, 2 to 3
minutes. Deglaze the pan by adding about 1/4 cup water and scraping up all the
browned bits from the bottom. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has
softened and the liquid has cooked off, about 5 minutes. Return the pork and
any juices to the pan along with the apple wedges, apple juice and about 3/4 cup water; submerge the pork in the liquid so that the tops are barely showing, adding more water if needed. Taste the liquid and season to taste with more salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook,
stirring every 30 minutes or so and re-submerging the meat, until the pork easily
falls apart when pierced with a fork, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
About 20 minutes before the pork is done, peel and cut the potatoes into 1-
inch cubes. Place in a saucepan with 1 teaspoon salt and cover with water by
1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook
until easily pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, then return the potatoes
to the same saucepan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and about 1/4 cup of the liquid from the pork stew. Put the saucepan over low heat, and use a potato masher or fork to mash, over low heat, to desired consistency.
Divide the mashed potatoes between two shallow bowls or pasta plates, then
top with the pork mixture. Sprinkle with the fennel fronds.