Porchetta Sandwiches

Portland food cart Lardo serves this succulent roast pork on ciabatta buns—with hazelnut gremolata and lemon-caper aïoli—accompanied with herb-strewn fries.

Yield: serves 8

For the Porchetta

¹⁄₂ cup lightly packed rosemary leaves
¹⁄₂ cup lightly packed sage leaves
¹⁄₃ cup olive oil
3 tbsp. fennel seeds, lightly crushed
2 ¹⁄₂ tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 tbsp. crushed red chile flakes
14 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 (6–7-lb.) skin-on pork shoulder, butterflied
Kosher salt, to taste

For the Gremolata, Aïoli, and Serving

1 ¹⁄₃ cups olive oil
1 cup lightly packed parsley leaves
¹⁄₂ cup hazelnuts, toasted
5 tbsp. salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp. hazelnut oil
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 egg yolks
8 ciabatta buns, split

Instructions

Make the pork: Heat oven to 325°. Combine rosemary, sage, ¹⁄₄ cup oil, fennel seeds, pepper, chile flakes, and garlic in a food processor, and process until a smooth paste forms. Unfold pork shoulder, skin-side down, on a cutting board, season with salt, and spread evenly with herb paste; roll up shoulder, tie with kitchen twine at 1″ intervals along length of shoulder, and rub with remaining oil. Transfer to a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, season with salt, and cover with foil; bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the pork reads 150°, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Uncover and heat broiler to high; broil pork until skin is browned and crisp and internal temperature reads 165°, about 15 minutes more. Let rest for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the gremolata: Combine ¹⁄₃ cup olive oil, parsley, hazelnuts, 1 tbsp. capers, hazelnut oil, shallot, and zest and juice of 1 lemon in a food processor, and process until a combined; transfer to a bowl and set aside.
For the aïoli, whisk remaining capers, 2 tbsp. lemon juice (reserve remaining juice and zest for another use), egg yolks, and 1 tbsp. water in a medium bowl until smooth. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in remaining oil until sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to use.
To serve, spread aïoli on tops of ciabatta buns and gremolata on bottoms of buns. Thinly slice pork shoulder and divide among buns; serve sandwiches with Herbed French Fries.