Stegt flæsk med persillesovs

The story

Stegt flæsk med persillesovs is crisp pork belly with a white parsley sauce and boiled potatoes, and since 2014 it has carried the title of Denmark's national dish. That year a public vote put it ahead of smørrebrød, hakkebøf (beef patties with soft onions) and brændende kærlighed, the mashed potatoes with bacon that appear in our Valentine's edition.

The dish itself is plain home cooking. Pork belly, called flæsk, is cut into thin slices, salted and cooked until the fat has rendered and the slices are golden and brittle. Some cooks still fry it in a pan, but many Danish home cooks now lay the slices on a rack in the oven, turning them a few times and pouring off the fat as it collects. The sauce is a simple white sauce of butter, flour and milk, finished with a generous amount of chopped parsley, salt and pepper, and in some kitchens lemon juice or a little nutmeg. Boiled potatoes complete the plate, and pickled beets are a common side.

Plan the timing around the oven: start the potatoes when the pork goes in, and make the sauce in the last ten minutes so the parsley stays bright green.