Oven-Baked Lemon-Honey Ribs with Fennel and Potatoes
Tender pork ribs glazed with lemon and honey, baked on a bed of caramelized fennel, onions, and potatoes.
- Cook2h 26m
- Total2h 26m
- DifficultyMedium
- Servings4
These ribs are slow-baked until the meat falls off the bone, while the vegetables underneath soak up all the flavorful juices. The lemon-honey glaze adds a perfect balance of tangy and sweet, with fresh oregano for an aromatic finish.
Serve them straight from the pan with a simple green salad to cut through the richness. The garlic cloves soften during cooking and can be mashed into the pan juices for an extra layer of flavor.
Ingredients
Servings
Converted amounts are rounded.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Boil the kettle. Place a large shallow casserole pan over medium-high heat.
- Peel and quarter the onions. Trim and quarter the fennel. Scrub the potatoes and halve or quarter them depending on size. Add all the vegetables to the dry pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown slightly.
- Add the unpeeled garlic cloves, breaking them apart. Pour in 100ml of boiling water from the kettle. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then increase the heat to high. Let it boil briefly while you squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl and mix with the honey; set aside.
- Cut the rib racks in half. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and rub with a pinch of salt and pepper. Lay the ribs over the vegetables, pressing down so they act as a lid. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, turning the ribs halfway through.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Flip the ribs again. Use the oregano bunch as a brush to spread the lemon-honey mixture all over the ribs. Roughly chop the remaining oregano leaves and scatter them over the ribs.
- Return the pan to the oven. Reduce the temperature to 300°F and bake for another 30 minutes, until the meat is tender and pulls easily from the bone.
- Transfer the ribs to a cutting board. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and mash them into the pan juices. Serve with a green salad if desired.
💡 Tips
- For extra caramelization, you can broil the ribs for 2-3 minutes at the end.
- If you don't have a casserole pan, use a large roasting pan and cover tightly with foil.
- The garlic cloves become soft and sweet; mashing them into the juices adds a lovely creaminess.
Inspired by a recipe from Jamie Oliver