Raxo Gallego

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Non-reactive bowl with a lid
• •Wide heavy frying pan, 28 to 30cm
• •Deep heavy saucepan, at least 4 litres
• •Deep-frying thermometer
• •Slotted spoon or frying spider
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the pork

   Put the pork in a non-reactive bowl with the garlic, pimentón, oregano, black pepper, fine salt, white wine, and extra virgin olive oil. Turn everything thoroughly until every cube carries a thin red coating. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Don't take it beyond a day; the wine and garlic begin to spoil the clean texture of the loin.

2. 2

   Drain and dry

   Thirty minutes before cooking, tip the pork into a colander and let it drain for 10 minutes. Discard the raw marinade. Blot away hanging droplets with kitchen paper, but don't wipe off the thin coat of garlic and pimentón. Rinse the cut potatoes under cold water until the water runs clear, soak them for 15 minutes, then dry them completely.

   Wet pork stews in its own liquid instead of browning, and wet potatoes make hot oil spit. Dry surfaces settle both problems.
3. 3

   First-fry the chips

   Fill a deep, heavy pan no more than halfway with the frying oil and heat it to 150°C. Fry the potatoes in two batches for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring carefully now and then, until cooked through but still pale and soft. Lift them onto a wire rack and let them stand while the oil heats further.

4. 4

   Crisp the chips

   Raise the oil to 190°C. Return the potatoes in two batches and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until deep gold with firm, crisp edges. Drain them on the rack, toss with 6g of the coarse salt, and leave them uncovered so they stay crisp.

5. 5

   Blister the peppers

   Dry the Padrón peppers well. Heat 25ml of the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat, add the peppers, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning often, until their skins blister and the flesh begins to collapse. Lift them onto a plate, scatter over the remaining 4g coarse salt, and keep them uncovered.

6. 6

   Fry in batches

   Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the remaining 20ml olive oil. When the oil moves freely across the pan, add one-third of the pork in a single uncrowded layer. Leave it untouched for 90 seconds, then turn and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, until bronzed at the edges and just opaque inside. Repeat with the remaining pork. The thickest cube should reach 63°C, then rest for 3 minutes.

   The wide, uncrowded pan is what decides the dish. Pack in all the pork and it releases water, turns grey, and tightens before it can brown. If the garlic blackens before the meat colours, lower the heat slightly.
7. 7

   Bring it together

   Pile the raxo onto a warm platter and spoon over the browned garlic and pimentón-stained oil left in the pan. Set the chips and blistered peppers alongside, keeping each distinct rather than burying the pork. Bring it straight to the table while the loin is still juicy and the chips still answer your teeth.

Chef Tips

• •Use boneless centre-cut pork loin, not fatty shoulder. Tenderloin works if that's all you can find, but it cooks about a minute faster and gives a softer, less distinctly porky bite.
• •Use pimentón dulce, the sweet one, and weigh it. Raxo can carry a red coat, but it shouldn't taste like zorza. If ordinary sweet paprika is all you have, use the same weight; you lose the deeper smoky note, but the garlic and pork remain clear.
• •Padrón peppers are a seasonal companion, not the definition of raxo. Buy them while they're smooth, firm, and green. Out of season, use shishitos or leave the peppers off rather than putting strips of bell pepper beside the pork.
• •Cool the potato oil completely, strain it through a fine sieve, and store it sealed away from light. It can be used again for potatoes, which is how a household keeps fried chips sensible rather than expensive.
• •A dry Ribeiro white cuts through the fried potatoes and garlic, while a young Galician Mencía suits the pork. Neither needs to be dear.

Advance Preparation

• •Marinate the pork for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. A full night is ideal, but don't hold it in the marinade beyond one day.
• •The potatoes can be cut and kept submerged in cold water in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. Drain and dry them thoroughly before they go near the oil.
• •For a quicker supper, first-fry the potatoes at 150°C up to 2 hours ahead. Leave them uncovered on a rack, then give them their final fry just before cooking the pork.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 335g)