If you want to miss this year’s big bird, try the roasted pork belly stuffed with black pudding, sage and apple

Speaking of Christmas dinner, P ork may not be everyone’s first thought, but the spice and sage scent in the black pudding gives this dish a distinct holiday feel (and I haven’t encountered a Meat diners like the crisp crackling sound). Marinating helps to keep the pork juicy and ensures that the whole meat is delicious and evenly seasoned, so the extra time and effort is worth it. It's Christmas after all.

If you don’t like black pudding, just double the amount of Cumberland sausage meat or replace it with a different type of sausage altogether.

Prepare 10 minutes brine 8 hours cooking 2 hours 15 minutes 6 servings

For salt water 200 grams table salt 2 liters of water

Roast 2½kg pork belly and 1 onion, peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces of vegetable oil, used for frying 150 grams of black pudding (peeled, if needed; optional) 150 grams of Cumberland sausage meat (if black pudding is not used, then 300 grams) 1 Braeburn apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1 cm dice 10 sage leaves, cut into chiffon (ie very thin strips)

First make brine. Dissolve the salt in the water, then put the pork in a large covered container and pour salt water to cover it. Cover and refrigerate for eight hours.

In a frying pan, heat the onions in a little oil for about 8 minutes until soft, then turn off the heat and cool.

In a bowl or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the softened onions, black pudding, sausage meat, diced apples, and sage until completely combined. Scrape the mixture onto a board and make a log of the same length as the longest side of the pork knuckle.

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Drain the pork (discard the salt water) and pat dry with a tea towel to make sure the skin is as dry as possible. Use a very sharp knife to scratch the entire skin in parallel diagonal lines 1 cm apart in two directions, so you will get a cross effect (but try not to cut too deep, as this will prevent The skin becomes brittle). Roll the pork joints around the filling mixture, wrap it up, and secure it in place with butcher’s twine​​--this can be very tedious, but it’s important to tie the joints as tight as possible; you need at least six cycles in total .

Transfer the stuffed pork to the roasting pan and roast for an hour. Turn up the heat to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9 and bake for another 30 minutes to make the skin crispy (for crisper skin, you can also fry under a very hot grill for a few minutes) before serving , But be sure to pay attention to it).

Take it out of the oven, let it sit for at least 30 minutes, then carve it, and serve it with the baked potatoes, gravy, and the vegetables below; you can’t go wrong with a few baked apple wedges.

British readers: Click to buy these ingredients from Ocado

Chard is a winter green plant that is seriously underestimated. When it is slowly cooked like this, it has a lovely richness that complements the pork belly.

400 g Swiss chard or rainbow beet 75 g butter salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 cloves garlic, peeled

Prepare 5 minutes and cook 50 minutes for 6 servings

Wash the beets and pat dry. Separate the leaves from the stem, cut the stem at an angle, and tear the leaves into palm-sized pieces.

In a medium saucepan, you have a tight lid, melt the butter over a low heat, then add the beet stalks, season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Grate the garlic directly, put it directly in a pan (I use a micro plane), cover it and let it sweat for about 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, add the beet leaves, close the lid again, and cook for another 20 minutes until everything becomes very soft. At this time, if there is still water in the pot, open the lid and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated.

Taste the seasonings, adjust as needed, and eat while hot. I personally like the black pepper spice, so it may be more than most people add, but be sure to grind at least a little at the end to get the final fragrance (pre-ground powder sold in the jar will leave a lot of need).

British readers: Click to buy these ingredients from Ocado

Sally Abé is the chef of The Pem, London SW1