Kitchen Conundrum

  • Home
  • About
  • Eat
    • Appetizers
    • Bread
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Desserts
    • Fish
    • Meats
    • Pasta
    • Poultry
    • Side Dishes
    • Sauces, Dressings and Condiments
    • Soup and Stews
    • Vegetables
  • Drink
    • Beer
    • Cocktails
    • Wine
  • Recipe Index
  • Travel
    • NYC/Metro
    • Cambodia
    • England
    • France
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • Vietnam
  • Kitchen Sink
    • Classes
    • Contests
    • Cookbooks
    • Cook The Book Fridays- My Paris Kitchen
    • French Fridays with Dorie
    • Kitchen Gear & Gadgets

St. Paddy’s Day- Erin go Bragh! A Menu for the Day

March 17, 2012 by Renee

I should be Irish. I have the requisite red hair, the fair complexion and even a few freckles. William Butler Yeats is my favorite poet (tied with T.S. Eliot, who’s American/English but Shhh!) and I love Guinness and all things Kerrygold.

So it goes without saying that I take St. Paddy’s day a little personal. Well, I don’t do the whole, green paint your face or wear strange shamrocks with glitter on them (unless I have drank all the Guinness), but I do cook up some traditional and some non-traditional Irish fare to celebrate the day.

When we were young newlyweds, Ari and I were regulars at a pub in the West Village, where both the Italian and Irish firemen all moonlighted as bartenders. We would sit at the bar, drink pints of beer and chat with everyone that came in. It wouldn’t take long before the whole place would burst into song and sing an Irish tune called “Four Green Fields”. It was great fun, but one of the best parts of the place was the traditional pub foods they served (along with several dishes that were way more upscale and delicious!) We dined on so many great things that came out their tiny kitchen-that happened to be setup in an alleyway (I wonder what the NYC Dept. of Health’s restaurant grading system would give them today if they were still open…). Anyway, one dish that we loved there was the Shepherd’s Pie.  The meat was cubed and tender, the peas and carrots were fresh and sweet. The mashed potatoes were creamy and the melted, cheesy top gave it such a nice crust and variation of texture. One Au Gratin dish was plenty for two people to share- and sometimes even three.

We used to eat it there at least a few times a month, if not more. But now, we only seem to make Shepherd’s Pie for St. Paddy’s Day or once in a blue moon. We may want to revisit that. It’s the perfect all-in-one meal. Meat, potatoes and vegetables all together in one perfect marriage bound by aged cheddar cheese. Separate, all the parts are perfect. Together? They live in harmony. Both on the plate and in our bellies.

We were on our way to make our standard version of Shepherd’s Pie, but while watching The Chew today and seeing Carla and Clinton make their insanely decadent Eight Layer Shepherd’s Pie, we knew that we had to give this one a try. We made some adjustments to theirs and will note them below. Here’s the link to their recipe–

Our notes:

-They say that the Skill Level is ‘difficult’. It’s not. Not at all. What it is, however, is a lot of little steps that must be done before the final assembly. So, it’s not difficult, it’s time consuming. Very, very time consuming. Like, give yourself a good two hours of prep time if you are doing it all by yourself. It took the two of us, both completing different parts a good hour and fifteen minutes to finish the prep. (And Ari is a pro- so for the rest of us…. extra time.)

-The recipe also states in the Kitchenware (needed) section that it’s a 9×9” baking pan. That’s an error. It should be a 9×13”pan. And make it a deep one!

-It says to use a mandolin, but you certainly don’t have to if you don’t have one.  Just be sure to slice the potatoes very thinly for the first layer.

-For the cheese sauce, it’s important to let the flour and milk mixture come to a small boil to thicken the sauce. Be sure to keep whisking so it doesn’t burn, but the high heat helps the roux and the milk come together. One thing they don’t mention, but you should also do, is to remove the milk from the heat and whisk in the cheese. This prevents it from scalding and burning and sticking to the pot. We also upped the cheese to 1 cup as the sauce was just too liquid and added a healthy pinch of salt because it tasted flat without it.

-For the mashed potato layer, we use our standard potato to butter ratio- 2:1. And butter to heavy cream ratio- 1:1. A la Joël Robuchon. It’s just how we roll. And we added salt to taste here- which, surprisingly, is left out of their recipe.

Some tips to make it all go easier (and faster):

  • Read the entire recipe beforehand. (Sounds like it should be a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised!)
  • Bake the puff pastry first and set aside.
  • Chop/dice/cube all the vegetable you will need for the entire recipe all at once. (You need potatoes and cheese twice, so divide accordingly! Keep the potatoes for layer one in a bowl of water to keep them from turning brown until you need them.)
  • When it’s time to brown the meat, at the same time, go ahead and boil the potatoes so they are ready for mashing when you get to the step for the mashed potatoes. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the peas and carrots and set aside until that step.
  • Salt every layer. A pinch of salt takes food from flat to fantastic.
  • The cheese was just not browning after the allotted time, so we kicked the oven up to broil just to give it some much needed color. And crust. We left off the final step of the fried onions but they would make an excellent addition for sure!

Here’s the finished result-

So how was it, you ask? It was truly decadent. And cheesy.   And deep. The beer flavor really comes out in the cheese sauce. The mashed potatoes and the meat were perfectly seasoned and the entire dish came together in perfect harmony. The puff pastry dough gave it a biscuit like flavor and texture in the middle of all the creaminess.  I loved the cheese topping and its crispy crust that it formed over the mashed potatoes.

Bottom line, it’s definitely a keeper recipe. But, reserved for large gatherings or special occasions. Only because of the time commitment involved in making it. I could see making the cheese sauce for other things though- like cauliflower or pasta.

If you try it, let me know your thoughts. I am always curious to know if people “follow the recipe” or improvise and what they come up with.

We also made Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes. The most traditional Irish meal there is. It’s what everyone thinks of when you say St. Patrick’s Day, so of course, we made this too. Basically, everything goes into a pot of water and cooks until it’s done. The meat first, then the potatoes and then the cabbage.  Served with a good mustard and maybe a splash of vinegar for the cabbage, it’s as easy a meal to make as any. If you are looking to glaze your corned beef, a black current mustard sauce is the most flavorful and you will please all of your guests.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine a jar of black current jam with three tablespoons of Dijon mustard. If you prefer a bit spicier, just add more mustard. Once liquid, pour it over the cooked corned beef and serve.  You’d be amazed at how fast your corned beef disappears. It’s also really excellent the next day if you can sneak a slice or two away to save.

Irish Soda Bread is the perfect accompaniment for the pie and the corned beef. The thing about Irish Soda Bread is that there truly is only one recipe with a variation of different ratios. I think from the beginning of time, it just consisted of these simple ingredients. Traditional Irish Soda Bread doesn’t have baking powder or sugar in it. If it does, then it’s cake, not bread. And while you can experiment with different flours, it’s either bread flour or AP Flour that’s traditionally used in Irish kitchens.

 

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

4 cups (16 oz) of all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
14 oz. of buttermilk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a round cake pan.

In a large bowl sift and combine all of  the dry ingredients.

Add the buttermilk and mix to form a sticky dough.  Place on a floured surface and lightly knead. Don’t overwork the dough- too much and the gas will escape and leave you with a flatter bread.

Shape the dough into a disc and place it in the round cake pan. Cut a large “X” in the top of the dough.

Cover the pan with an inverted pan and bake for 30 minutes. (This cover simulates the Bastible Pot- or the Dutch Oven traditionally used to make the soda bread in).  Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

When completely baked, the bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped.

Cover the bread in a kitchen towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist until ready to serve.

Serve warm with your favorite Irish butter!

 

For dessert, we created fun “Green Velvet” Whoopie Pies. The recipe is the same for the one’s I created last Valentine’s Day, just with green food coloring instead of red. They are festive and everyone loves them. We hope you will too.

So, we’ll leave you with this Irish Blessing:

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

For fun pub song’s- try this or this.

Have a great St. Patrick’s Day and remember- Don’t Drink and Drive!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Eat, Featured Posts, Bread, Desserts, Meats Tagged With: Beef, Cabbage, Corned Beef, Ireland, Irish, Lamb, Mashed Potatoes, Potatoes, Shepherd's Pie, Soda Bread, St. Paddy's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Whoopie Pies

« The Easiest, Easy Bread Recipe
Crispy, Sriracha Spiced Chicken Bites Recipe »

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    March 17, 2012 at 11:02 am

    Wow, that all looks amazing, particularly that shepherd’s pie. I’m trying to talk myself off of the sofa to go make a *sigh* vegetarian Guinness stew, for this year my 21-year-old has decided to be a vegetarian. As he is going through a very tough time right now, I’m honoring his decision on our favorite holiday and foregoing the corned beef. I hope the colcannon and soda bread make up for it.
    I wish I had time do whip together those whoopee pies!

  2. Vitamin A says

    April 15, 2012 at 3:35 pm

    Cheers, I just stopped in to visit your site and thought I’d say thanks for having me.

Categories

Archives

kitchconundrum

It’s a two cocktail kind of night. Mojito and G& It’s a two cocktail kind of night. Mojito and G&T. #rum #sevenupmojito #hendricks #gin #cocktail #adultbeverage #roevwade #womensrights #voteblue
Britakakku. A Finnish summer cake made with layers Britakakku. A Finnish summer cake made with layers of cake, meringue, a whipped yogurt cream and fresh berries. It may look a mess but it’s quite tasty! Only two layers here but I’ve seen them quite tall! #britakakku #finnish #finnishfood #pastry #berries #summerfruit #summerdessert #dessert #summer #cake
Mint chip ice cream with fresh mint from the garde Mint chip ice cream with fresh mint from the garden. Cool and refreshing. One of the best recipes from David Lebovitz’s A Perfect Scoop. #cookthebook #cookbook #icecream #homemadeicecream #gardening #herbgarden #mint #chocolatechip #davidlebovitz #recipe
First flowers of the season! And a few vegetables First flowers of the season! And a few vegetables are here too! I was going to prune the crazy overgrown rosebush on the arch but there are robins nesting in it so we’ve let it go wild. Will have to wait to cut it back until after the summer. We don’t mind and they have a safe spot to just be. Last year they built their nest in the grape vines. We feel honored to watch Mr & Mrs fly back and forth all day with food or twigs. They are very busy! #gardening #backyardgarden #growyourownfood #robin #nest #robinsnest
We finished working in the backyard today and cele We finished working in the backyard today and celebrated a power washed deck and cleaned out boxes primed for veggies and flowers with a bottle of rosé. It’s apéro season in the garden! #apero #wine #rosé  #gardening #garden #flowers #vegetablegarden #growyourownfood
A really nice Asian supermarket opened nearby so w A really nice Asian supermarket opened nearby so we restocked our pantry. We met a nice couple there who told us which brands they liked best- love their personal recommendations! Super nice of them! 

We also said goodbye to our old, burnt and wonky bamboo steamer. It served us well but it’s time for a new one. #ranch99 
#asiancooking #asiangrocery #grocery #groceryhaul
Lunch today was @ottolenghi ‘s Cauliflower Cake Lunch today was @ottolenghi ‘s Cauliflower Cake from #PlentyMore #Cookbook It was really quite good. Though we felt it needed a little something…more. It’s a versatile recipe so next time we will add garlic, cumin, or coriander and maybe switch up the cheeses and vegetables. I can see it with feta and spinach or asparagus even,  or even broccoli and a good cheddar. That is the magic of a good base recipe. You can make it however you want! Just have fun with it! #greatrecipes #cookthebooks #ottolenghi #cooking #lunch #eatyourveggies
A bit of spring popped out this week. Hopefully, w A bit of spring popped out this week. Hopefully, warm weather will come and stay. It’s been cold and raining so much (I guess that’s good and needed) so I’ve not been outside much. I need to rake the leaves! But it’s lovely to see some color come through! Soon the tulips will bloom and that also means its time to plant the vegetable garden. Summer really is on the way! #spring #flowers #flowergarden #vegetablegarden #gardening #gardeningcalendar
Taco Thursday’s is a thing right? Well, we can e Taco Thursday’s is a thing right? Well, we can eat tacos any time! Leftover grilled chicken put to good use. #tacothursday #tacotuesday #dinner #corntortillas #yum
Who wants some ooey gooey cheesy melty spinach art Who wants some ooey gooey cheesy melty spinach artichoke dip? It was really good and we have sooo much leftover! Going to be eating it with grilled chicken, pasta and bread for the next week or so. #toomuch #artichokes #spinach #cheese #dip #appetizers #artichokedip
Sunday afternoon snacks. Warm pretzels with cheese Sunday afternoon snacks. Warm pretzels with cheese sauce. #pretzels #snack #cheesesauce #gouda #cheddar #tvsnack #afternoonsnack
Bœuf Bourguignon for dinner today. With mashed po Bœuf Bourguignon for dinner today. With mashed potatoes of course! It’s s project but so worth it. #dinner #beef #boeufbourguignon #frenchcooking
Not much to look at but so tasty! I’ve been want Not much to look at but so tasty! I’ve been wanting to make choucroute garnie since returning from Strasbourg, where I had it a lot. Good sausages are hard to find but a slightly smoky kielbasa, thick cut bacon and uncured hotdogs did the trick. Also, the sauerkraut with apples and white wine had just enough sweet and tang. This is a really easy but absolutely delicious dish. #choucroute #choucroutegarnie #alsace #sauerkraut #strasbourg #dinner #onepotmeal
This is a seriously elevated cauliflower gratin. M This is a seriously elevated cauliflower gratin. Made with an olive oil béchamel, garlic and feta cheese. So delicious and comforting on this cold winter day. Recipe by @aglaiakremezi  #cauliflower #cauliflowergratin #vegetarian #dairy #sidedish #sogood
Some days you just need to make chocolate mousse a Some days you just need to make chocolate mousse and use so many bowls in the process. I think I’ll have two please. (They’re small!) #chocolate #chocolatemousse #mousse #dessert #madefromscratch #delish #chocoholic #darkchocolate
Mushroom Barley Soup and Netflix is perfect for st Mushroom Barley Soup and Netflix is perfect for staying cozy today while there’s a blizzard outside. Stay safe everyone! #lunch #soup #mushroombarleysoup #blizzard #stayinside #fozen
Before the big girl headed back to college this we Before the big girl headed back to college this weekend, we decided to honor her time in Strasbourg by making a tarte flambée. I had bought a wheel of Munster in Colmar and it travelled home with us. Unfortunately, it was a bit overripe when we opened it so we ended up using Comté instead. It was still very tasty. Just wish we had the same wood fired crust they have there. #tarteflambee #strasbourg #colmar #france #munster #cheese #comte
2021 is a wrap! We made it! What a blur this year 2021 is a wrap! We made it! What a blur this year was. But gardening, renovating, a couple of trips and a lot of cooking and eating good things helped get us through. Thanks to you too for being a part of this year! May we all be blessed with another year- healthy, happy and well fed!  #topnine #top9of2021 #diy #2021 #newyears #goodtidings #yearinreview2021 #yearinreview
Load More... Follow on Instagram

© Copyright 2017 Kitchen Conundrum · Privacy Policy & Disclosures · All Rights Reserved ·

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.