Roast Pork Belly and Vegetables (by G)

I tried to make an effort without making an effort - it turned out to be more effort than I had intended to make.

I watched a lot of food shows on the weekend and in one of them a highly renowned chef made the job of cooking pork belly very easy. Just oil and salt the skin, pop it in the oven for a bit and you have perfectly cooked pork with perfectly crunchy crackling. "Of course!" I exclaimed to myself, as if that is not how I've unsuccessfully being doing it all these years. The results were predictable, no crackle. I ended up doing what I always do and bunging it under the grill to salvage at least some dodgy crackle.

My plan for the vegetables was to stick a few different types in a roasting pan and just burn the shit out of them. I chickened out pretty early and ended up taking the mushrooms, carrots and shallots out part way, getting the potatoes brown then adding them back in again. The result was a tasty but plain and unmemorable meal.