Roast pork loin with prunes (Schab pieczony ze śliwkami)

1. Trim the pork loin, push a long, narrow knife right through the centre lengthways and widen the opening with the knife handle or the handle of a wooden spoon.

2. Push the prunes into the opening one after another so that each slice has a nice dark "eye" in the middle.

3. Mix the crushed garlic with the salt, pepper, crumbled marjoram and a tablespoon of oil and rub it all over the meat; if you have time, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 180 °C; sear the loin quickly on all sides in the remaining oil, then put it in a roasting tin, scatter the thickly sliced onions around it and pour the water underneath.

5. Roast for about 1 hour 15 minutes (the centre should reach 68-70 °C), basting with the pan juices every 15 minutes; add a little water if the tin dries out.

6. Rest for 15 minutes, then cut into 1 cm slices and serve with the onion pan juices, potatoes and braised cabbage or beetroot; it's also excellent cold as a cold cut.

Tip: A classic of the Polish festive table – don't skip the resting, as it's the only way the juices redistribute instead of running out onto the board when you slice it.