Crispy Roast Pork Belly with Homemade Potato Dumplings and Spinach

Step-by-step method

At a glance

This indulgent Sunday lunch features a showstopping centerpiece: pork belly that takes nearly three hours to roast low and slow until it falls apart, with a crispy scored skin basted in its own rendered fat. You'll also make homemade potato dumplings from scratch (the trickiest part is keeping the dough slightly sticky so they turn out fluffy, not dense) and finish with creamy wilted spinach—all components come together for an impressive meal that's worth every minute of your time.

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Prepare the pork belly

First, prepare the pork belly for roasting. Using a very sharp knife, score the skin with straight cuts about half a centimetre apart. Rub the pork belly all over with salt, ground cumin and pepper.

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10 gram
Salt

10 gram
Black Pepper

10 gram
Caraway Seeds

1 kilogram
Pork Belly with Skin (Boneless)
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Slice the garlic

Push slices of garlic into the scored cuts. About three cloves should do it.

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3 clove
Garlic
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Roast

Place the meat in a roasting tray, skin side up. Don't add any liquid and don't cover it. Put it into an oven preheated to 220°C and roast at this higher temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 130°C and continue roasting for at least two hours.

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Add the onion

After an hour of roasting, add onion cut into wedges to the tray. Open the oven from time to time and baste the pork belly with the rendered fat. The total roasting time will depend on how thick your piece of pork belly is.

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2 piece
Yellow Onion
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The meat should be falling apart

You'll know the pork is done when it's almost falling apart. At the lower temperature it will need at least two to three hours. Once roasted, take the pork belly out of the oven and let it rest for ten minutes before slicing.
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Boil the potatoes

Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water. While still hot, peel them and pass them through a fine grater or a potato press. Put the potatoes in a bowl, add the egg and half of the flour. Mix together and add more flour as needed.

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1 kilogram
Type B Potatoes – Side-Dish (Salad) Potatoes

3 piece
Chicken Eggs

300 gram
Medium-Fine Wheat Flour
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A slightly sticky dough

Don't overwork the dough – don't worry if it stays a little sticky. If it were firm and dry, the finished dumplings would end up too dense instead of light and fluffy, the way they should be.
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Cut the dough into pieces

Shape the dumplings from the dough straight away, as potato dough tends to get watery if left standing. On a floured surface, roll it into a rope about 1.5 to 2 cm thick. Using a knife, cut off pieces about 2.5 to 3 cm long.
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Boil the dumplings and prepare the spinach

Drop the dumplings into boiling salted water. They're done as soon as they float to the surface. Scoop them out and serve with the meat and spinach. As the pork belly nears the end of its roasting time, start preparing the spinach.

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400 gram
Spinach
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Sauté the onion and spinach

Melt a bit of lard in a pot and sauté the onion until translucent. Add chopped garlic, to taste, ideally about 2 to 3 cloves. Stir and cook together for a moment. Add in the spinach.

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1 gram
Yellow Onion

3 clove
Garlic
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Reduce off the excess liquid

Season with salt and pepper. The spinach only needs a few minutes to wilt. Pour in the cream and let it simmer a little longer. The spinach shouldn't be too thin – if needed, turn up the heat briefly to boil off the excess liquid, which will thicken the spinach nicely.

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5 gram
Salt

5 gram
Black Pepper

200 gram
Whipping Cream 33%

Crispy Roast Pork Belly with Homemade Potato Dumplings and Spinach

Name: Irresistible Crispy Roast Pork Belly
Prep time: 32 min
Cook time: 198 min
Total time: 240 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Czech
Ingredients: 3 piece Chicken Eggs; 300 gram Medium-Fine Wheat Flour; 400 gram Spinach; 200 gram Whipping Cream 33%; 15 gram Salt; 6 clove Garlic; 1 gram Yellow Onion; 1 kilogram Type B Potatoes – Side-Dish (Salad) Potatoes; 1 kilogram Pork Belly with Skin (Boneless); 15 gram Black Pepper; 10 gram Caraway Seeds; 2 piece Yellow Onion

bohynekuchyne

Prep 32 min Cook 3 h 18 min

Plus 10 min of resting (not counted in active time)

12 Ingredients

11 Steps

Hard Difficulty

What's in it?

1212 kcal

Calories

99 g

Carbohydrates

56 g

Fats

81 g

Proteins

The nutritional information is an estimate and may vary based on the specific ingredients used.

About this recipe

Alright, fair warning after that short intro. This isn't going to be a recipe for a diet-friendly chicken breast. Today we're serving up a proper Sunday lunch, just like grandma used to make. Beautifully roasted and beautifully rich. You won't lose an ounce eating this, but you'll definitely impress your mother-in-law and your partner. As long as they're not on a diet, that is…

Pork High-protein Main Course Czech Sunday family lunch Comfort food Hearty & filling To impress

Step-by-step method

At a glance

Prepare the pork belly

For this step

Slice the garlic

For this step

Roast

Add the onion

For this step

The meat should be falling apart

Boil the potatoes

For this step

A slightly sticky dough

Cut the dough into pieces

Boil the dumplings and prepare the spinach

For this step

Sauté the onion and spinach

For this step

Reduce off the excess liquid

For this step

Crispy Roast Pork Belly with Homemade Potato Dumplings and Spinach

Ingredients — what you'll need

What's in it?

About this recipe

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