Glazed pigs’ cheeks and celeriac and potato gratin: Josh Eggleton’s recipes for a winter feast

Comfort food par excellence, and ideal for making ahead, all ready to reheat and impress. Today’s meal is all about earthy winter comfort food at its best. A lot of the ingredients may well be in your cupboard already, so possibly just a trip to the butcher will be required a few days before you want to make it and ask them to order some pig cheeks for you. This indulgent plateful is a real favourite in our house, and will both please the family and impress guests.

It’s best to make this the day before, then reheat gently. Prep 20 min. Chill 2 hr+. Cook 3 hr 30 min. Serves 4. 1 tbsp vegetable oil. 8 pig cheeks (about 100g each), or 800g collar of pork cut into 8 pieces. 1 white or brown onion, peeled and roughly chopped. 1 large carrot, trimmed, peeled and split in half lengthways.

1 medium leek, white part only, outer leaf peeled off and discarded, the rest split in half lengthways. 1 stick celery, trimmed and split in half lengthways. 1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole. 2 cloves. 1 star anise. 5 black peppercorns. 1 bay leaf. 2 sprigs fresh thyme.

About 1½ litres chicken stock, plus 100ml extra to finish. 50ml honey. 50ml Marmite. Heat the oil in large, heavy-based frying pan, then sear the pig cheeks all over, until nicely browned. Put the seared meat in a large casserole dish for which you have a lid, then add the onion, carrot, leek, celery, garlic, cloves, star anise, peppercorns, bay leaf and thyme. Pour over enough stock just to cover the contents of the pot – you may not need all of it – then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and leave to cook for three hours, until the meat is very tender; if you prefer, slow-roast the meat in a 160C (140C fan)/325F/gas 3 oven for two to two and a half hours.

Lift the pig cheeks out of the pot, then put them in a dish, cover and chill in the fridge overnight, or for long enough that they are completely chilled, so give them at least two hours (you want the glaze to stick to them when you come to finishing off the dish, and if the cheeks are still warm when you do so, they will fall apart). Pass the rest of the mix through a sieve into a clean pan, then reduce it slowly, until the flavour is deep but before it becomes too salty – so taste and taste some more. Strain again, this time through a fine sieve, leave to cool, then cover and chill alongside the cheeks.

When you’re ready to eat, put the honey, Marmite and the extra 100ml stock in a wide saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to make sure they’re all well combined. Turn down the heat, add the pig cheeks and gently baste in the Marmite mix until well glazed and warmed through.

Serve at once with the celeriac and potato dauphinoise below and the reheated reduced sauce. Again, this also benefits from being made ahead of time and reheated on the day. Prep 15 min. Infuse 10 min+. Chill/press Up to 12 hr. Cook 1 hr. 300g maris piper potatoes, peeled and finely sliced (on a mandoline, ideally).

300g celeriac, peeled and finely sliced (again, on a mandoline, ideally). 400ml double cream. 300ml whole milk. 2 pinches ground nutmeg. 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced. Salt and pepper. Put the sliced potatoes and celeriac in a bowl of cold water. Put the cream, milk, nutmeg, garlic and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a large saucepan and bring slowly to a boil. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for at least 10 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Drain the potatoes and celeriac, then layer them in overlapping slices in a small oven dish lined with baking paper. Pour enough of the cream mixture over the potatoes and celeriac to cover, then bake for 45 minutes, until slightly golden on top and cooked through (test for doneness with the tip of a small sharp knife). Take out of the oven and leave to cool.

Once the gratin has cooled, cover with clingfilm or similar, then weigh it down with a heavy object, such as another oven dish, that will fit neatly on top, then put in the fridge to press for up to 12 hours. When you’re ready to serve, gently reheat the dauphinoise in a 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 oven for 15 or so minutes. Divide into four portions and serve immediately.