Fried Pig's Feet

The recipe assumes you already have pig's feet that have been simmered until tender, which is most of the work and is not described here. Everything after that is a straightforward breading and shallow fry.

• "Cooked" means several hours of simmeringRaw trotters need 3 to 4 hours at a bare simmer in salted water with an onion, a bay leaf and a few peppercorns, until the skin and connective tissue are yielding and the meat pulls from the bone. Cool them in the liquid, then chill; cold feet split cleanly and hold their coating far better than warm ones.
• Splitting themCut lengthways through the middle with a heavy knife or cleaver, following the natural division between the toes. Wipe the cut faces dry before flouring or the breading will slide off in the pan.
• A gillA quarter pint: four fluid ounces (half a cup) by American measure, five fluid ounces by imperial. Here it applies to the tomato sauce served alongside.
• Lard and pan heatThree tablespoons of lard is a shallow fry, not a deep one. Any neutral fat with a decent smoke point works; keep the pan at a steady medium so the crumbs colour over the full eight minutes rather than scorching in three.
• The eight minutes is about crust, not donenessThe feet are already fully cooked. You are browning the crumb and heating the interior through, so judge by colour and by the coating being firm enough to lift without tearing.
• Breading that stays onFlour, egg, crumbs works, but the feet are gelatinous and slippery. Chilling the breaded halves for 20 minutes before frying sets the coating; turn them once only, with a fish slice under the flat cut side.
• YieldThree feet, split, gives six pieces: a starter for six, or a main course for three with something sharp alongside. Mustard, cornichons or a vinegared salad cut the richness better than the tomato sauce does.