Pan Con Chicharrón: Pork & Potato Sandwich - Peruvian Style

📝 Ingredients

• 28 ounces pork belly
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup mint leaves (fresh)
• 3 sweet potatoes
• 1 red onion
• 1 teaspoon limo chili pepper
• 4 cups vegetable oil
• Black pepper (to taste)
• Salt ( to taste)
• 3 sprigs parsley
• 1 tablespoon Lime juice ( to taste)
• 240 g bread rolls ((4 bread rolls))

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Prepare the brine in a recipient, by placing 2 liters of water and 2 heaped tablespoons of salt, stir until completely dissolved. Then place the pork belly in the brine, and leave to marinade in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours in order for the salt to penetrate the center of the meat. The brine will also help remove the excess of any potential impurities from the meat.
2. 2Remove the pork from the brine.
3. 3Fill a pot with 2 liters of water and 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil.
4. 4Cut the meat into two and place it in the pot of boiling water, adding the mint and the bay leaf. Boil on medium heat for 1 hour of until the water has evaporated.
5. 5Leave the pork in the pot to fry in its own fat until golden.
6. 6Peel, slice and wash the sweet potatoes in order to remove excess starch.
7. 7Heat up half a cup of vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the sweet potato slices until they’re irresistibly crispy.
8. 8Prepare the salsa criolla relish with one julienned red onion, finely chopped limo chili pepper, finely chopped parsley, and lime juice and salt to taste.
9. 9Cut open the bread rolls. First, place a few of the fried sweet potato slices in the bread, and then follow with a generous serving of the chicharrón and finally top it off with the salsa criolla relish.
10. 10Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee or tea, and if you want to really feel like you’re in Peru, put on some traditional música criolla on in the background to complete the scene.