Fresh Neck of Pork with Brussels Sprouts

Échine de porc fraîche aux choux de Bruxelles (fresh pork neck with Brussels sprouts) teaches one true thing: the garnish must finish in the roast. These sprouts are not boiled greens parked beside pork at the end. Cook them only three-quarters through, drain them until their surfaces are dry, then let the pork's gravy and fat do the final cooking.

The original entry assumed an unspecified service-sized joint, a cook free to baste repeatedly, and an earthenware dish sturdy enough to pass from oven to table. It assumes neither a saucier, a stock never off the fire, nor a salamander, so none belongs here. For one cook, one stove, one evening, a 3-pound tied neck and a 3-quart oven-safe earthenware dish serve four. A separate presentation platter is service scaffolding and goes, while the par-cooking, complete drainage, shared roasting, and frequent basting are the dish and must stay.

Done properly, the neck is deeply bronzed and succulent, the sprouts tender at the heart with browned outer leaves, and the gravy tastes of pork because nothing has diluted it. Complete drainage is the decisive step. If the sprouts still glisten with water, dry them briefly in the warm empty pan before they meet the roast. Ça se rattrape.