* * This post appeared earlier today on www.denmark.dk – the official website of Denmark.
The direct link is
http://blogs.denmark.dk/diane/2011/06/07/celebrate-with-stegt-fl%c3%a6sk/ * *
Get ready to wave your Danish flags…because the ‘Killer Cucumber’ saga is behind us and it’s safe to eat your greens again! [‘Eek!’ say the nations’ kids – having had a welcome break from the ubiquitous stacks of cherry tomatoes, carrot and cucumber sticks that are part and parcel of a healthy Danish lunchbox. All wrapped up in madpakkepapir (packed lunch paper),of course. Not aluminium foil. Tut, tut.]
But, as usual, I digress!
Last Wednesday I posted a recipe for agurkesalat– a (killer) Danish cucumber salad. And what better way to celebrate the return of the cucumber than to serve up agurkesalat alongside this (killer) Danish fried belly pork? Ladies and gentlemen, mine damer og herrer, I give you…stegt flæsk!
 |
| In order not to appear greedy,
just put a couple of pieces on your plate at a time 🙂 |
Stegt flæsk (literally translated as ‘fried bacon’) is a classic Danish dish that you’ll see in lots of restaurants. Normally with the tag ad libitum – eat all you can eat – because it’s so yummy that, once started, you won’t want to stop. And rightly so! The first time I made it, I bought one 500 g (1lb) pack of belly pork. Now I buy two packs – for our Scottish/Danish household of 2 adults and 2 kids – just to be on the safe side…
You can stege (fry) the strips of belly pork in a frying pan. But you can also cook them in the oven. Which is my preferred method, as it means (slightly) less mess in the kitchen.
Dab the pieces of belly pork with a bit of kitchen roll to dry them off. Place them on a rack, with a little space between each (so they don’t stick together when cooking) and make sure you have a drip-pan underneath. Sprinkle generously with salt. And I mean very generously. ‘Bad-for-my-blood-pressure’-generously. The salt helps to draw out fat and water, making it very crispy.
Pop into a really hot oven (around 225 c or 450 f) for around 20 minutes. Keep checking! You want them really crisp. Not burnt.
When the strips of belly pork are nice and crispy on one side, flip them over. From this point you have to be really vigilant because the second side never takes as long as the first… So watch them like a hawk!
Nice and crispy on both sides? Then you’re ready to serve up. We always have it with the traditional accompaniments of persillesovs (homemade parsley sauce) and boiled potatoes. Not forgetting, of course, some of our (killer) Danish cucumber salad, agurkesalat 
Velbekomme! And skål! [she said, holding a nice chilled Carlsberg]
Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday! 