Porchetta with Mascarpone Polenta & Tricolore Salad

Tightly trussed and expertly seasoned, porchetta steals the show in this festive feast. Carve it into rounds and serve alongside ultra creamy polenta and a colorful red-and-green salad. 

What You Get

Porchetta (see note below) 

Rosemary salt

Polenta 

Mascarpone cheese

Treviso radicchio

Endive 

Shallot 

Arugula 

Shaved Parmesan cheese 

Meyer lemon vinaigrette 

Chopped, toasted hazelnuts

What You’ll Need

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Milk (optional)

Makes 8 servings

35 minutes active 

3 hours total 

Step 1

Pat the porchetta dry with paper towels. Place the porchetta on a rack in a roasting pan, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with the rosemary salt, and rub both all over the meat and skin. Let it come to room temperature, 2 hours.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Transfer the porchetta to the oven and roast for 40 minutes. Flip the porchetta, turn down the oven to 300°F, and continue roasting, turning the porchetta once or twice more, until the internal temperature reaches 145°F, approximately 1½ to 2 hours. If the skin is not yet deep brown and crisp, turn up the oven to 400°F and roast for 10 minutes longer. Let the porchetta rest for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile, make the polenta. In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water and ½ teaspoon salt to a simmer. In a bowl, combine 2 cups of polenta, 2 cups milk or water, and ½ teaspoon salt and let soak. When the water is simmering, whisk in the polenta, along with the soaking liquid. Turn down the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mascarpone. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 4 

To make the salad, trim the radicchio and slice about 2 cups of the leaves. Trim the endive and slice about 2 cups of the leaves. Slice the shallot. In a large bowl, combine the radicchio, endive, about 2 cups arugula, the shallot, and a handful of the Parmesan. Drizzle with about ⅓ cup of the vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Garnish with the toasted hazelnuts and more shaved Parmesan.

Step 5

Slice the porchetta into thick rounds. Arrange the porchetta on plates, and heap the polenta and tricolore salad on the side. Grind with pepper and serve warm.

Contains: milk, tree nuts. 

Note: The porchetta may arrive frozen for freshness. Store it in the refrigerator for 2 days to defrost before cooking.