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Stegt Flæsk med Persillesovs (Crisp Pork Belly with Parsley Sauce)

Stegt Flæsk med Persillesovs (Crisp Pork Belly with Parsley Sauce) reads richness 7.3, umami 6.5 and sourness 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Danish main, about 1 hr 30 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.1 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.4 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 4.9 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 4.1 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 7.8 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 2.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 7.3 · Umami 6.5 · Sourness 4.9 · Salinity 4.6 · Earthy 3.7 · Sweetness 3.1 · Herbaceous 2.3 · Smoke 2.0 · Warm Spice 1.7 · Nutty 1.4 · Fruity 1.2 · Funk & Ferment 1.2 · Floral 0.8 · Heat 0.8 · Bitterness 0.7

What's in it (11)

• pork belly — 1000 g
• salt — 10 g
• potatoes — 1000 g
• butter — 50 g
• all-purpose flour — 50 g
• regular milk — 600 g
• flat-leaf parsley — 60 g
• freshly grated nutmeg — 1 g
• ground white pepper — 3 g
• salt — 5 g
• pickled beet — 200 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 30 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 290 kcal, 11.6 g protein, 19.4 g fat, 17.2 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Pat the pork slices completely dry, lay them in a single layer on a rack over a roasting tray and salt them on both sides. Any water left on the surface has to boil off before the fat can crisp, and that is the whole difference between crisp and leathery.
2. Roast 25 minutes, turn each slice, and roast a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the slices are deep gold and rigid. The test is auditory: a finished slice snaps when you bend it. In 2014 a national vote run by the Danish food ministry made this the national dish, and what was being voted for was that snap.
3. While the pork roasts, boil the potatoes in well-salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, until a knife meets no resistance. Keep them warm.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook the roux for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells biscuity but has taken no colour. A browned roux would make a brown sauce, and this one must stay white.
5. Add the milk a third at a time, whisking each addition completely smooth before the next, then simmer gently for 8 minutes, stirring, until the sauce coats a spoon.
6. Season with the nutmeg, white pepper and the second measure of salt.
7. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Sixty grams is far more parsley than seems reasonable and it is the correct amount: the sauce should be green and taste emphatically of parsley, not of white sauce with flecks in it. Adding it off the heat keeps the colour bright.
8. Pile the potatoes on warm plates, pour the parsley sauce over them, lean the crisp pork against the side so it stays crisp, and serve the pickled beetroot alongside.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Gorditas de Chicharron — Mexican
• Viennese Pot Roast — German
• Currywurst — German
• Tlayuda Oaxaquena — Mexican
• Rakott Krumpli (Layered Potato Casserole) — Hungarian

Keep reading: what richness, umami, sourness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.