Side Dishes for Porchetta

Oven roasted cherry tomatoes. 450°, salt, pepper, olive oil, 45 minutes or til bursting.Serve hot, cold or room temp.

this would be awesome with porchetta:

http://www.food52.com/recipes/7533_suspiciously_delicious_cabbage

or a simple side salad of arugula and thin-sliced red onion, served with this:

http://www.food52.com/recipes/4251_nonnas_piadina

An easy raw kale salad goes perfectly with porchetta! After rinsing the leaves, I chop the kale into bite-sized pieces, transfer it to a salad bowl, and pour over the dressing (olive oil, lemon juice, a little Dijon mustard, a squeeze of anchovy paste if you have it, a pinch of dried red chili flakes, fresh-ground black pepper, and salt). Then I give it a good massage with my bare hands, grate Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, and toss to distribute the cheese. The massaging seems to break down the tougher fibers while working in the dressing, and the flavors only get better as the salad sits in the fridge. Plus, the kale retains a nice glossy green color, so if you do prepare it in advance there's no need to worry about serving your guests a healthy salad of brownish mush.

We cook root vegetables along with the pork. The pork fat flavors the vegetables wonderfully! You should use more veggies than you think you will need. They always disappear quickly.

We do a Greek(ish) pork roast that's in a similar vein as porchetta - then wrap slices in warm pita - or other flatbread - along with spinach or arugula dressed in a vinegar-y vinaigrette and crumbled feta. Maybe some thinly sliced red onions. Everyone does their own assembly. Really good - the sharpness of the vinaigrette (like salsa verde) cuts the richness of the pork. One of my favorite summer dinners. Simply grilled or roasted cherry tomatoes and red peppers, with olive oil and garlic, go really well with it.

Love the potato salad idea as well as the salsa verde. Now, you've got me thinking of combining the two into a salsa verde type potato salad. Thanks.

Jennifer Perillo's Summer Farro Salad (http://www.food52.com/recipes/5092_summer_farro_salad) would go well with porchetta. It can defiinitely be made ahead and has some lovely summer flavors.

I also make this potato salad a lot in the summer. It is easy to put together, a great accompaniment to pork, and it can be served warm or cold.
http://www.food52.com/recipes/12809_italianstyle_potato_salad_with_garlic_lemon_and_olive_oil

When I prepar porchetta I serve it with Italian salsa verde ; parsley capers anchovies and olive oil.

How about a light potato salad made with red potatoes, sliced after cooking and tossed right away, while warm, in an olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing? I'd add a bit of chopped parsley and perhaps a few capers and/or coarsely chopped cornichons, and salt and pepper to taste. It will hold at room temperature. I always try to balance pork, especially pork shoulder, with something sharp. The contest winning green beans, feta and marjoram salad would also go well. I'd make dessert light and fruity. Sounds like a nice party!! ;o)

http://www.food52.com/recipes/12928_dilled_crunchy_sweetcorn_salad_with_buttermilk_dressing - a wonderful meal.