Pork knuckle roasted in beer (Golonka)

1. Wash the knuckles, singe or scrape off any remaining hairs from the skin and put them in a large pot with enough cold water to cover; add the halved onion, the carrot, bay leaves, juniper berries, pepper and salt.

2. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, then cover and simmer gently for about 1.5 hours, until the meat is tender but not yet falling off the bone.

3. Preheat the oven to 200 °C; mix the crushed garlic with the mustard, crumbled marjoram and a few spoonfuls of beer and brush it all over the drained knuckles; score the skin in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife.

4. Put the knuckles in a roasting tin, pour the beer and a ladle of cooking liquid around them and roast for about 1 hour, basting with the pan juices every 15 minutes.

5. For the last 15 minutes, turn the heat up to 230 °C so the skin puffs up and crackles; you can also switch on the grill, but keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

6. Halve the knuckles and serve with freshly grated horseradish, mustard, sauerkraut or potatoes, with the pan juices on the side.

Tip: In Polish pubs one knuckle is often served per person, but two are plenty for four; the pre-boiling makes the meat tender, the roasting is just for the crackling.