- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4.
- Prepare the sage and onion stuffing mix according to the packet instructions, and set aside.
- Finely chop the pig’s liver by pulsing in a food processor or mincing by hand. Combine this with the minced pork.
- Add the stuffing, salt and pepper, ground mace, and thyme, and mix to combine, using your hands to ensure the ingredients are well-mixed.
- Form the mixture into eight large, round balls, around the size of a tennis ball.
- Wrap each faggot in two unsmoked, streaky bacon rashers.
- Lightly oil an oven dish or roasting tray, and arrange the faggots on the tray. Now make the gravy, which will be baked in the oven with the faggots.
- Start by heating the oil or butter in a non-stick frying pan and fry the sage leaves for 3-4 minutes, until crispy, before carefully removing from the pan with a slotted spoon and setting aside.
- Fry the sliced onions over a low to medium heat for around 10 minutes, until golden and softened. Add the sugar and continue cooking for a further 4-5 minutes, until caramelised.
- Add the beef stock to the pan, followed by the balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Allow to simmer for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Mix the flour with a tablespoon of cold water to form a smooth paste. Add this to the pan, stirring through and allowing to bubble away until the gravy has thickened slightly.
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour the onion gravy into the dish, covering the faggots. Cook in the oven for an hour or so, or until cooked through.
- Serve your faggots with creamy mashed potato and mushy or garden peas, in a pool of rich sage and onion gravy, garnished with crispy sage leaves.
Bacon wrapped pork faggots with sage and onion gravy by The Rare Welsh Bit
- Prep time 30 mins
- Cook time 1 hrs 30 mins
- Serves 5+
Ingredients
- 550g minced belly or shoulder pork
- 250g pig’s liver, finely chopped
- 16 streaky bacon rashers
- 170g sage and onion stuffing mix
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp freshly ground mace or ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp sunflower oil, for oiling the dish
For the sage and onion gravy:
- ½ tbsp sunflower oil or 25g butter
- 2 sprigs of fresh sage, leaves removed and set aside
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 tsp soft brown sugar
- 450ml beef stock
- ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ tbsp plain flour
Method
For Porc From Wales Week 2022, we teamed up with @therarewelshbit – aka Cardiff-based food blogger Kacie Morgan – to show her favourite pork faggots recipe and why we should be choosing to source our pork locally.
Here’s what Kacie says about her recipe:
“Classic British faggot recipes date back over many years, with different UK regions putting their own unique twist on this comforting meatball dish, traditionally made using minced off-cuts and offal (usually liver and/or heart, although kidney is also sometimes used). This pork faggot recipe sees minced belly porc and fresh pig’s liver combined with stuffing mix, herbs and spices to form big, hearty meatballs, served with rich sage and onion gravy.
“Traditionally, faggots are wrapped in caul fat (the thin membrane that surrounds the internal organs of some animals) but I’ve used unsmoked streaky bacon rashers instead – you can even leave the bacon off altogether if you prefer.
“Not only do these pork faggots taste absolutely wonderful, but they’re incredibly quick and easy to prepare, and they make the most of pig’s offal – a lesser used yet delicious part of the animal.”