As you can tell by many recipes in this book, pork and potatoes feature heavily in French country cooking. That’s especially true in this dish: the simplest scramble of pork and potatoes, garnished with loads of garlic and parsley. A Frésinat can make a great breakfast, lunch or dinner.
This Frésinat Albigeois is a specialty from the Tarn, in the southwest of France. On local farms, it was a tradition to make and serve this dish the day following the slaughtering of a pig, with all the leftover pieces not deemed suitable for making charcuterie, like the throat. Thankfully nowadays, modern versions of the recipe accept common cuts such as the loin or shoulder.
SERVES 6
1 tbsp (15 g) unsalted butter
3⅓ lb (1.5 kg) pork loin, cut in ⅓” (8-mm) cubes
3⅓ lb (1.5 kg) potatoes, peeled and cut in ⅓” (8-mm) cubes
¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and chopped
In a large frying pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the pork and cook for about 30 minutes with the lid on. When the pork is cooked through, remove the lid. Turn up the heat to high, and sear the pork for about 30 seconds, until crisp and golden. Transfer the pork to a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm; leave the drippings in the pan.
Turn the heat back to medium. Add the potatoes to the pan, along with the vegetable oil, salt and ground pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so the potatoes don’t stick to the pan. Add the garlic, parsley and pork, and cook for another 5 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and crispy; the garlic is meant to be just barely cooked. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.