Canary Island Style Pork Roast (Pata de Cerdo)

More Canary food! :)  This recipe is my mother in law's, she makes thee best "Pata" around.  Tender, juicy, and a hint of spice around the edges.  She gets it nice and crispy on the outside too, which for some reason, I can't seem to manage, but nonetheless the flavor is out of this world.  "Pata" is normally served very thinly sliced on baguettes with a bit of salt sprinkled on, and can be either a breakfast or a main meal when served with fries and a salad.

cortado

Ingredients:

3 lbs pork sirloin roast (bone in, the roast should have a fair amount of fat on top) 

1/4 cup olive oil 

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (I like smokey) 

3-4 cloves garlic 

sea salt 

1/2 teaspoon thyme 

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 

2-3 crusty French baguettes, sliced lengthwise 

salt

Preparation: 

Using a mortar and pestle, mash garlic and salt.

Once creamy, add paprika, thyme, oregano, cumin and oil, and combine well.

Rub roast all over with this mixture and let marinate for several hours or overnight.

Place (uncovered) in a  430ºF (225ºC) preheated oven.

After 15-20 minutes, reduce heat to 390ºF (200ºC). 

Bake 1 1/2 hours.

Turn oven off, and allow roast to rest in oven (don't open the door) for an hour more. 

Remove from oven and allow to stand 15 minutes before slicing.

Slice into very thin slices, and serve on crusty baguettes, lightly salted.

bocadillo