Linda Duerr, Frondizi's Restaurant

Chef Linda Duerr of Frondizi's RestaurantChef Linda Duerr of Frondizi’s realized she wanted to become a chef when she was working as a fact checker for a financial magazine. She had an artistic background looking for an outlet, and she says the artistic nature of food drew her to cooking.

“In the ‘80s, food was really becoming sort of glamorous and exciting,” she says.

Her career began in Boston, where she worked at Biba with Lidia Shire and trained with other prestigious chefs. She’s been at Frondizi’s for five and a half years.

She says she chose the suckling pig recipe because the finished product is deceptively easy.

“It’s usually very visually spectacular, and the finished product’s taste is phenomenal,” she says. “It has this whole medieval, Renaissance-y look. Lots of food — that’s how, for me, it relates to Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

She says that as complex as it looks, the hardest part about the recipe is carving the pig after it’s cooked. She suggests presenting it while it still looks great, then taking it away back to the kitchen to get it ready for serving.

“But the truth is, really, anybody could do it,” she says.

Whole Roasted Suckling Pig with Sweet Potatoes and Cornbread Stuffing
25- to 30-pound suckling pig (try River City Meats)
6-7 whole sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1 recipe cornbread stuffing (your choice)
2 12-ounce bags whole cranberries
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups water
Zest of 2 limes

Prepare by rinsing and patting dry the pig. Rub down the cavity with olive oil, minced garlic, a few tablespoons of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Arrange the pig in a foil-lined roasting pan with the front legs pulled back and the back legs pulled forward to the sides of the pig (the legs will be crossed on either side). Salt and pepper the sweet potatoes (skin on) and stuff the center of the cavity with them. Fill the ends of the cavity with the cornbread stuffing (the potatoes and stuffing will fill out the center of the pig to give it a fuller, more natural shape). Roast the pig in a 300°F oven for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, to about 160° on a meat thermometer. Meanwhile, add the cranberries, sugar, water and vinegar to a medium-sized pot and cook over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes or until the relish has reduced to a thick, syrupy consistency. Cool and stir in the lime zest. Chill overnight (it will firm up quite a bit after chilling). To serve, remove the potatoes and stuffing from the pig and arrange the pig on a large platter. Serves 10 to 15.