Apple and sage porchetta with apple sauce

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. Season the pork flesh and skin with plenty of salt and pepper and rub it into the pork. Place the pork skin-side down and scatter the sliced onions, sliced apple, sage, lemon zest, 50g of the butter, salt and pepper over the top, pressing down gently.
3. Starting with the shortest side in front of you, roll the pork up into a long sausage as tightly as possible and secure with string at intervals along the length of it. Make a little noose in the end of the string, then loop it around the pork, pull the string through the noose and pull it tight. Continue down the pork, wrapping the string around, then looping it back through the string, keeping it taut all the time. Tie it at the end to secure it.
4. Place the quartered onions, carrots and garlic bulbs in a large deep-sided oven tray, then place the pork on top and rub in another 50g of the butter. Pour the white wine into the tray. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 150°C and cook for 3 or even 4 hours.
5. While the pork roasts, make the apple sauce. Place 20–25ml water, the chopped apples, a squeeze of lemon, 25g of the butter and a little of the sugar in a saucepan, then cover, place over the heat and cook for 4–5 minutes until the apple has broken down. Beat with a spoon until nearly smooth, leaving a few chunks, then season to taste with the rest of the sugar and a little salt.
6. Remove the pork from the oven and lift it out onto a serving plate to rest for at least 30 minutes before removing the string. Place the tray on the hob over a medium heat, stirring all the time to release the juices stuck to the bottom of the tray. Check the seasoning, then strain through a fine sieve to serve alongside the pork, with a dollop of apple sauce.
7. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the tenderstem broccoli and simmer for 3–4 minutes until just tender. Drain and toss with the last 25g of the butter.