Caramelised pancetta with balsamic syrup and root vegetables herbed mash

This is a very nice idea for the New Year's Day lunch so to have something different than the classic roast pork. Tender meat with a luscious crunchy skin on top where the balsamic vinegar syrup gives it a special flavour

Recipe of Tony Kavalieros,
a prominent Head Cook
from "Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients (for 6 people)

For the meat:
800gr.-1Kg of pancetta, skin and fat on (de-boned)
2 Lt of water
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp of white vinegar
2 tbsp of coarse salt
1 tsp of peppercorns
a few whole cloves

For the balsamic syrup:
2 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp of balsamic syrup

For the mash:
300gr. of potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
200gr. of turnip or swede, peeled and cut in cubes
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and kept whole
60-70 ml of single cream
1 tbsp of butter
1 tsp of finely snipped chives
salt
pepper

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Put in a large pot the pancetta, the bay leaves, the vinegar, the coarse salt and the peppercorns. Fill with the water, semi-cover with the lid and simmer in medium-low heat for 45-50 minutes.

Drain in a colander. Peel and discard the skin off the meat. Transfer back to the pot and allow to cool.

With a sharp knife score the remaining fat on the top into diamond shapes and press a whole clove on each.

Transfer in an oven pan, put in the oven and initially bake for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, put all the syrup ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a whisk.

After the first 30 minutes of cooking turn the oven temperature up to 200°C.

Take out of the oven and thoroughly brush the meat with the syrup. Put it back in the oven and continue cooking for another 15 minutes until a caramelised crust forms on top. Repeat the brushing 3-4 more times every 5 minutes.

In the meantime, boil the potatoes along with the turnip (or the swede) and the garlic cloves in salted water on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes.

Drain in a colander and transfer back in the pot. Add the single cream and simmer all the ingredients in low heat for another 5 minutes.

Mash thoroughly the vegetables with the cream using a potato masher, add the chives and the butter and season with salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly to blend the ingredients.

Cut the pancetta into slices and serve with the mash in a separate bowl.