Colcannon Twice Baked Potatoes with crispy Dillisk Flakes!

So I’m sure you are all familiar with twice baked potatoes right? Delicious, creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes cradled in their crisp, salty skin. Well, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day I’ve actually given the twice baked potato a bit of an Irish make-over. Yup! These savory little devils you see here are Colcannon Twice Baked Potatoes.

I shared a recipe for Colcannon with you a few St. Patrick’s Days ago. It is without a doubt, Irish comfort food at its finest! Buttery mashed potatoes whipped up with cabbage, leeks and bacon.

Mix that divine concoction just described with some lovely Irish Cheddar and that is the filling in these show stopping Colcannon Twice Baked Potatoes. And since I had picked up some Dillisk on my last trip to Ireland, I chopped that up and sprinkled it over the top! Sheer magic I tell you!

Turns out the nutty salty Dillisk is the perfect flavor enhancer for these potatoes. Dillisk (duileasc in Irish) or dulse, as it is also known, is an edible seaweed which has been harvested along the shores of the North Atlantic for generations. The earliest mention of it being harvested comes from 1400 years ago. St. Columba and his monks gathered it for food as well as medicine. It is an excellent source of protein, fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin A, iodine and zinc. You can often find it in health food stores in the US. It can be eaten dried or rehydrated to use in soups, stews, breads or salads.

Since we’re talking about potato dishes, I’ve gotta bring up Cheese & Onion pies! One of the things I was most excited about on our most recent trip to Ireland was taking The Husband to visit Cork. I went to college at University College Cork and wanted to show him some of my old haunts.

Quad at University College Cork.

Stunning Street Art!

It had changed quite a bit since I’d been there, but I was very excited to see that my favorite chipper…no wait….the best chipper in Cork – no…Hands down the best chipper anywhere – Jackie Lennox’s was still going strong!

I love Jackie Lennox’s. There is no substitute. Back in the day, myself and the college friends, filled to the brim with pints would stop by to get a little something to help us soak up that booze. And Lennox’s never failed us! Perfectly cooked fish and chips, great burgers and batter sausages.But the thing I crave, the thing I almost always got was – Lennox’s Cheese & Onion Pies! They served this crispy, crunchy, deep fried ball of cheese, onions and mashed potatoes with plenty of chips and a hearty lashing of salt and malt vinegar. YUM! I tried to recreate it once. But there is nothing like the original.

The cutest puppy in the world and my version of a Cheese & Onion pie!

I had talked about it so much over the years that The Husband couldn’t wait to get his hands on one and let me just say it did not disappoint!

College friends, Cheese & Onion Pies, Batter Sausages & Chips!

Once we’d gotten our Lennox’s fix. We strolled by St. Finbar’s Cathedral

Strolled through the English Market. And stopped for a few pints. Perfect day!

But let me get back to these awesome Colcannon Twice Baked Potatoes! You can make these babies ahead of time. Just complete the recipe through filling the skins. Refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days ahead of your shindig. On the day you want to serve them, just pop them in a 375 F oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes. How easy is that?!!

With crispy, salty flavorful skin and savory creamy cheesy filling, these exquisite Colcannon Twice Baked Potatoes go well as a side next to any meat dish you might wish to serve. Or you could even just chow down on this hearty stuffed spud as your dinner, full stop! I have no doubt folks will go wild for this dish at your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Heck they will go wild for it on any day that it appears on the table.

Colcannon Twice Baked Potatoes

• Servings: 8
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe adapted from: The kitchn

Ingredients:

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons salt
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 6 strips smoky bacon
• 1/2 small savoy cabbage, shredded (approx. 12 ounces)
• 2 leeks, white and light green portions, halved lengthwise, rinsed well and thinly sliced
• 4 ounces Irish cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 Tablespoons/ 113 grams unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
• 1 bay leaf
• freshly ground pepper
• handful of chives, chopped
• sea salt flakes
• handful of dillisk, chopped – to sprinkle over the top

Directions:

Set the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil.

Scrub the four potatoes and prick all over with a fork.

Dissolve 2 Tablespoons of salt in 1/2 cup of water. Dip the potatoes in the water covering all sides and then set on one of the prepared baking sheets.

Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the other prepared tray.

Place both baking trays in the oven. Bake until the bacon is browned and starts to ripple, or to desired doneness, 10 to 20 minutes. (Because the cook time depends on the thickness of the bacon and how you like it cooked, start checking doneness at the 10-minute mark.) I usually bake my bacon for 13 minutes.

Remove the bacon from the oven and transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain. Reposition the baking tray with the potatoes so that it is centered in the oven and continue to bake, turning after about 30 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F – about 45 minutes to 1 hour total baking time.

Once the potatoes have reached 205 degrees F, remove from oven and brush all sides with olive oil. Return to oven for 5 more minutes. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling ingredients. Cut the core from the cabbage and finely chop. Slice the leeks. Grate 4 ounces of Irish cheddar cheese. Crumble the bacon. Finely chop the dillisk.

Place 2 Tablespoons of the butter into a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the cabbage, leeks and 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cook until cabbage begins to wilt, 5 -6 minutes.

Add the milk, dried mustard powder and the bay leaf to the pan. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat. Cook for 20 -25 minutes.

Once the potatoes are ready, cut them in half lengthwise and carefully scrape the potato flesh out of the skins into a bowl, leaving 1/4 inch thick shell. Try to keep the skins intact as you will be refilling them. Place the skins on the baking sheet and place in a warm oven while you are finishing the filling.

Pass the potato flesh through a ricer into the bowl of a stand mixer. You can just mash with a potato masher if you wish, but a ricer will yield and much more creamy mash. Add two tablespoons of the butter and mix on low. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cabbage and leek mixture to the potatoes, discarding the bay leaf. Again mix on low to combine. Slowly add the reserved milk from the cabbage mixture until your mash achieves the desired texture.

Add the cheese and 2/3rd of the crumbled bacon and mix until combined. Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper.

Remove the warm potato shells from the oven and spoon the potato mixture into them. Dot each stuffed potato skin with 1/2 Tablespoon of butter. Turn the oven back up to 375 F and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are browning and the filling is hot.

Remove from oven. Transfer to serving platter and top with reserved bacon, chopped chives, flaky sea salt and the chopped dillisk.

Enjoy!

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Colcannon Twice Baked Potatoes:

Dillisk

Travel Planning Guide:

Getting there: Icelandair! We love Icelandair and have always had great experience with them. Icelandair flies to Dublin, Ireland. Take advantage of their Stopover program on your next flight to Europe.

Car Rental: New Way Car Hire – Love the all-inclusive pricing on these cars as well as the Dublin Airport pickup!

The English Market – Don’t visit Cork without stopping by The English Market! This 18th Century covered market is chock full of fresh local produce as well as many international delights! A must see!

Pubs & Grub:

Jackie Lennox’s Chip Shop

An Spailpín Fanac – great pub. Take note of opening hours. Doesn’t open until 6 -7 pm.

Hotels:

The River Lee Hotel – I didn’t actually stay overnight in Cork on this trip. But when we visit in the future – I’ve my eye on the River Lee Hotel. Looks awesome and is in a great location!

Balmoral Chicken & Creamy Whisky Gravy with Clapshot (Tatties & Neeps)

Here we are in January already! The end of January actually. Seems all I’m thinking about is “I better start on a diet, as well as those taxes?” Sheesh! That’s no fun at all. But there is something that cheers me up every year without fault. At this time of year my thoughts always turn to Scotland. That’s right- January 25th, which is coming soon, is the birthday of Robert Burns. Robert Burns was born in 1759 and is regarded as the National Poet of Scotland. On January 25th folks throughout the world, though especially in Scotland, will be remembering him with a Burns Night Supper. And ya’ll. This year I pulled the trigger. Seriously. I did it. I ordered a Haggis!!! What is a Burns Night Supper without a wee Haggis? So this year I am thrilled to share this recipe for Balmoral Chicken! What you’ve got here is a moist tender chicken breast wrapped up in salty country bacon and stuffed with haggis. This succulent dish is served with a lovely Cream Whisky Gravy and a side of Clapshot. (An Orkney spin on Mashed Tatties and Neeps.)

When I was prowling around the internet looking for this years Burns Night offering, I came across many dishes featuring haggis. I was under the false impression that I would not be able to source a haggis here in Virginia. For those of you who might be thinking “What the heck is a haggis”? Well, haggis, the national dish of Scotland, is a savory pudding which contains sheep heart, liver and lungs along with oatmeal, suet and spices. Traditionally it was cooked within a sheep stomach but now artificial casings are often used instead. Authentic Scottish Haggis has been banned from import to the United States since 1971 as the USDA objected to the sheep’s lungs ingredient. This has led to a select group of American firms producing lung free haggis. And what do you know, but one of those firms is located just one state away from me. The Scottish Gourmet USA is located in Greensboro North Carolina. They import everything from Scotland from shortbread to smoked salmon to sweet heather honey ANNND…since they can’t legally import haggis, they taught a French sausage maker to make a crumbly delicious haggis from American lamb, onions, Scottish oats and a special blend of spices. Woohoo! I ordered it online and they shipped it right out to me. I can not tell you how priceless the look was on the Husbands face was when he saw the box and asked “Scottish Gourmet?” and I simply replied “My haggis has arrived!”

Now for those of you feeling a bit queasy, all I can say is “Man up!” Don’t knock it til you try it! Have you ever eaten a hot dog? Bet some of those ingredients can be a bit suspect. How about scrapple, hmmm? For many, haggis is an integral part of a Burns Night Supper. According to custom, the haggis should be placed upon a silver platter and paraded into the room with a bagpiper before Robert Burns’ poem Address to a Haggis is recited and the dish is theatrically cut with a ceremonial knife and served as the main course. Yes, Robert Burns will be forever linked with the haggis which he refers to as “the great chieftain of the pudding-race”. Clearly he was quite fond of it. I’ve actually eaten haggis in Scotland, well I had a Haggis Hot Dog once as well as some haggis on a pizza and definitely enjoyed it. And this Balmoral Chicken, wrapped in bacon and stuffed with haggis is very tasty if I do say so myself!

But if you are terminally squeamish and just can’t stand the though of it, I do have some alternatives you might want to try. I’ve actually posted quite a few tasty Burns Night dishes in the past. Last year I told you about this amazing Ecclefechan Butter Tart. This rich, scrumptious delight is chock full of nuts and warm cinnamon spiced fruit all wrapped up in a buttery whisky caramel.

The year before, there was this gorgeous Cock-a-leekie Pie:

And remember my  Steak Auld Reekie served over Crispy Tatties & Neeps:

Or how about these Scottish Pies with Mushy Peas? This post is really fun because it is one of my travel postings telling you all about a fun trip that we took to Glasgow a few years ago.

And if you are intrigued by Scottish travel – just take a look at these Scottish Oat Cakes which are featured in my post about our journey to Lerwick in the Shetland Islands for their annual Up Helly Aa celebration, which is a Viking Fire Festival. How exciting it that?!! 

But back to more Burns Night recipes, how about some infamous Scotch Eggs:

Perhaps you would like your Scotch eggs deviled?

Or maybe nestled within a meat pie?

If pie is not your thing (and I have no idea what you’re like if it isn’t…), how about this Cock-a-leekie Soup:

which I served with delicious, crusty Struan. Struan, also known as Celtic Harvest Bread, is thought to have taken its name from a town in Western Scotland called Struanmoor, on the Isle of Skye. It was originally enjoyed once a year as a harvest bread, using whatever grains were available from the previous day’s harvest. This is my absolute favourite bread, so it is almost always available in my house. It toasts up particularly brilliantly.

And for dessert maybe you’d enjoy this Dundee Cake with Hot Whiskey Marmalade

I think you get the picture. My blog is chock full of inspirational tasty Scottish dishes! A Burns Night cornucopia if you will. And let me add another delicious tidbit to the list with today’s offering: Balmoral Chicken. This relatively modern Scottish dish takes its name from Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, a vacation home for British royalty since 1852. Though truth be told, I couldn’t find any direct connection between the recipe and the estate.

I’ve also seen this dish referred to as Highland Chicken. What ever you want to call it, this winner entree consists of a tender juicy chicken breast stuffed with haggis and wrapped in smoky salty bacon, served with lashings of creamy whisky gravy. As well as with a hearty helping of Clapshot on the side.

“Oh no…” I can hear you saying. First “haggis” now “Clapshot”. Clapshot is just Tatties & Neeps with some onions thrown in. Yeah, I can just imagine your eyes narrowing in frustration – “Tatties & Neeps?” you might query. Yup, that’s Potatoes and Turnips. Except…what the Scots are referring to when they say Neeps or turnips are not the white turnips we might think of here in the States. They mean Swedish Turnip, which is also called Swede, which we call a Rutabaga. So Clapshot, which hails from Orkney, is a marvelously delicious creamy dish of buttery mashed potatoes and rutabagas shot through and topped with fried onions and chives. This is the perfect side for this Balmoral Chicken but would also be stunning with any Burns Night main dish you choose to serve.

So on January 25th I hope you will make some of these fine Scottish dishes that I shared with you today and join me in raising a wee dram and toast to Robert Burns, Scotlands favorite son.

Balmoral Chicken with Creamy Whisky Gravy & Clapshot

recipe from: Balmoral Chicken from Scottish Gourmet, Creamy Whisky Gravy slightly adapted from Delicious Magazine and Clapshot from The Scotsman

Ingredients:

For the Balmoral Chicken:

• 2 large Chicken Breasts, pounded flat
• 1 lb. Haggis, thawed and divided in 1/2
• 10 Bacon Strips, uncooked

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place a 2 sheets of cling film or saran wrap on your work surface. Lay 5 pieces of the uncooked bacon side by side, just barely overlapping on the plastic wrap. Cover the bacon strips with the chicken breast which has been pounded flat. Transfer half of the haggis down the center of the chicken.

Roll one end of the bacon and chicken over the haggis and continue to roll it as tightly as you can. Place the roll in the center of the plastic film and wrap it up tightly. Twist the ends of the wrap and place the roll seam side down in the refrigerator. Repeat with the second bacon chicken roll.

Let the rolls chill in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes to maintain the shape.

When you are ready to bake, remove the plastic wrapping and place both rolls seam side down in a baking dish.

Bake for 1 hour. Let cool for a few minutes and then slice and serve.

For the Whisky Cream Gravy:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 150 ml chicken stock, warmed
• 200 ml heavy cream
• handful of thyme leaves
• 50 ml Scottish Whisky

Directions:

Melt two tablespoon butter in a sauce pan. Scatter the flour over the melted butter and whisk to combine. Slowly add the warmed chicken stock, whisking the entire time. Add the heavy cream and thyme leaves. Cook until the gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and then add 50 ml (or more if the spirit takes you) good quality whisky.

For the Clapshot (Tatties & Neeps):

• 1 small swede (rutabaga), roughly 500 grams
• 3 medium potatoes, roughly 500 grams
• 1 medium onion
• small bunch of chives
• butter (2 -4 tablespoons)
• creams or milk
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg

Directions:

Peel the swede and the potatoes. Cut them into even sized cubes. Place both vegetables in salted water in separate pans. Boil them until they are fork tender. Drain the water and let them sit for 5 minutes or so to cool.

While the vegetable are cooking, peel the onion and slice it as thinly as you can. Fry the onion in a couple tablespoons of butter until it is golden brown. Set aside.

Rice the swede and potato pieces into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You can just place the whole pieces in the bowl of a stand mixer, but I always use a ricer as I like the creamy consistency it provides. Add a knob of butter as well as a bit of milk or cream. Mix on medium for one minute. Add more butter and/or cream until you reach the desired consistency. Add a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Mix 2/3 of the fried onions in to the potato/swede.

Place in serving bowl, top with chives and the remaining fried onion.

Enjoy!

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Balmoral Chicken, Creamy Whisky Gravy & Clapshot:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Potato Ricer

Scottish Gourmet USA – your one stop shop for all things Scottish! They ship! If you hurry you might even be able to get that Haggis expressed shipped by Wednesday. Or be way ahead of the game for next year. Their haggis freezes quite well!

Zucchini Boats filled with Spicy Lager Lentils

I’m going to take a bit of a break from bread recipes today and tell you all about these Zucchini Boats filled with Spicy Lager Lentils! If you are a fan of spicy, Tex-mex cuisine, you need to add this recipe to your repertoire.

The Husband and I absolutely love zucchini. Can’t get enough of the stuff, which is a bit strange because neither of us liked it one little bit when we were kids. Now I want to eat it all the time. One of our absolute favorite sides are these Zucchini Spicy Grilled Corn & Cheese Pancakes:

And zucchini adds moisture as well as flavor to my favorite Banana Bread recipe:

So yeah, we are all about zucchini here. Stuffing a few of them with some spiced up lager lentils seemed like a great idea. And boy was it ever! I first told you about these lentils when we made tacos with them. Absolutely delish!

Now we’ve got those same spicy lentils wrapped with zucchini, rather than a tortilla. This is great news if you are trying to cut back on carbs. And you still get to top these Zucchini Boats with all the same fun toppings you would put on a taco.

Another win is that these little boats are perfect for a Meatless Monday! I swear you won’t miss that meat at all.

Later this summer, when you are absolutely swimming in zucchini, you will be so happy that I shared this idea with you. And the recipe is easily customizable, so if you are a hardcore carnivore – go ahead and add some meat. Turns out there really aren’t any rules. So have fun creating your own version of these Zucchini Boats today! (but I gotta say…these Spicy Lager Lentils are pretty amazing…)

• Servings: 4
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe inspired by: The Mountain Kitchen’s Meatless Mexican Zucchini Boats

Ingredients:

• 1 cup lentils, cooked (you will end up with about 2 cups of lentils when cooked)
• 1 white onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 oz. chopped green chilis
• 1/2 cup salsa (your favourite – We love Green Mountain Gringo Salsa)
• 6 oz.- 8 oz. lager beer (I used Estrella Damm, Dos Equis would be great too )

For the spice mixture:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon Spanish Smoked paprika
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the Zucchini Boats:

• 4 medium zucchini – halved and with a channel scooped out for the spicy lentils
• Shredded Mexican Cheese
• Toppings: sour cream, Cotija Cheese, salsa, fresh jalapeños, fresh cilantro

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and tin of green chilis, cook for another minute or two.  Add the spice mixture and cook, stirring frequently. You don’t want to burn the spices just crank up the flavor by cooking them.

Add the lentils, salsa and 6 ounces of the beer and stir to combine. Let cook for 2-3 minutes. Using a potato masher or fork, gently mash the lentils until the mixture reaches the consistency you are happy with. Cook another few minutes until hot. If the lentils start to dry out, add another glug or two of the lager. ( If you haven’t slurped it down…cooking is hard & thirsty work!)

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon to dredge out a channel for the spicy lentils to sit in. Don’t remove too much of the zucchini. Take care to leave at least 1/4″ flesh in the zucchini. Just remove the center seeds and discard.

Place the zucchini on the prepared baking sheet.

Fill the prepared zucchini boats with the spicy lentils. Sprinkle shredded Mexican style spicy cheese over the tops.

Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until the zucchini are fork tender.

Remove from oven. Add any additional toppers you would like.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Boats filled with Spicy Lager Lentils brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Irish Coddled Pork with Cider

Ah now here is a traditional Irish dish for you – Irish Coddled Pork with Cider. If St. Patrick’s Day is at all chilly and rainy – which seems to often be the case – this slow cooked stew will really hit the spot! But what does “coddle” mean? Well, in a culinary sense it likely comes from the french verb caudle which means to cook gently, parboil or stew. You know, low and slow. Sure everyone knows a stew boiled is a stew spoiled! But I’ve also read that it comes from the Irish word cadal which means to sleep. The legend goes that the wife of the house could make up  a coddle and leave it simmering on the stove for hours. It would still be delicious when her man finally arrived home from the pub, long after she’d gone off to sleep!

Dublin Coddle is the coddle which is best known I’d say. That Coddle is a stew consisting of Irish Sausages, potatoes, onions and Irish Bacon. It has been enjoyed in Ireland since the seventeenth century and likely before. It was a favourite of the likes of Jonathan Swift, Seán O’Casey and James Joyce.

Coddles were a useful way of using up any meat on a Thursday, in times when Catholics were not supposed to eat meat on Fridays. Now a days you can enjoy a hearty coddle any time. This particular coddle recipe features a couple lovely thick cut pork chops.

After having prepared this dish, I can definitely say it is so easy to make. You just brown the pork, chop up the veg and toss it all into a pot to simmer away. Now you do want to make sure that you have a pot with a well fitting lid so that the ingredients left uncovered by the stock/cider will be steamed. True Irish comfort food. Serve up with some soda bread or a hunk of brown bread slathered with butter. And maybe a pint or two….

• Servings: 2
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: BBC Good Food

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons good Irish butter (like Kerrygold)
• 2 Pork Loin Chops
• 4 rashers smoked bacon, chopped into pieces
• 2 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 carrot, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 rutabaga (swede, turnip) cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 small cabbage, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 100 ml Irish cider
• 100 ml chicken stock

Directions:

Heat butter in a casserole dish until sizzling. I used a Le Creuset oval casserole #27 (6 quart). Brown the pork chops on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Place the bacon, carrot, potatoes and rutabaga in the pan and fry until just starting to color. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a few more minutes. Nestle the chops into the vegetables. Add the bay leaf and then pour the cider and stock over the top. Cover the pan and continue to simmer on low until the pork is cooked through (145°F/ 63°C) and the vegetables are tender.

Enjoy!

Irish Coddled Pork with Cider brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Irish Coddled Pork with Cider:

Le Creuset Cast Iron Signature Casserole

 

 

Crispy Irish Whiskey Mustard Baked Chicken Thighs

Here we are, with St. Patrick’s Day only 8 days away. That means it is time for me to start my annual St. Patrick’s Day blog-a-thon. Yup, I’ll be sharing one lovely Irish-y recipe everyday with you, right up to the big day Tuesday March 17th! Now I think managing to publish one recipe daily for eight days is a pretty impressive feat. But, a few years ago I was completely mad and used to start on March 1st and do a new recipe each day until March 17th. That is why you can find over 100 delicious St. Patrick’s Day recipes on my blog. If you’d like to take a peek at my past St. Patrick’s Day posts, you can click Runcible Eat/Recipes up at the top navigation bar and scroll down to the St. Patrick’s Day category. That’s where you’ll find them! And stay tuned here for my latest additions this year. I’m going to kick this whole thing off with this fantastic recipe for Crispy Irish Whiskey Mustard Baked Chicken Thighs. This recipe has got a lot going for it. First of all it tastes amazing! A crispy crunchy cornflake coating on the outside surrounds tender, juicy chicken which is flavored with tangy wholegrain mustard and Irish whiskey. What a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day dish! Not only does it taste great, but it is also actually very quick and easy to make. Perfect for a midweek dinner. And being baked, not fried, is certainly a plus.

The Irish Whiskey Mustard marinade that this chicken in basted in provides such a flavor explosion. It really kicks this chicken dish into high gear. So if you love wholegrainy/Dijon style mustard, this dish is definitely a must for you. And don’t forget, it is also spiked with a good glug of Irish Whiskey, so you just can’t go wrong!

The Irish Whiskey Mustard that I used in this recipe is from my friend Theresa’s company. I’ve told you a bit about her and her company on St. Patrick’s Days past. Theresa runs, The Green Apron, which is an artisan preserve company.

She grows much of the fruit and vegetables she uses in her preserves at her family’s orchards at Derryclough and in the walled vegetable garden at her parents 18th Century castle, Glenwilliam.

Her award-winning preserves are made in small batches by traditional methods using locally sourced, organic produce where possible and without artificial preservatives, colours or setting agents. Her award winning Irish Whiskey Mustard is superb and is simply made with Mustard Seed, Honey, Vinegar, Salt, Irish Whiskey and Spices.

It enhances everything you put it on, so I knew it’s wholegrainy, Whiskey goodness was just the thing to put this baked chicken over the top. And I wasn’t wrong – it was absolute perfection!

Now if you aren’t located in Ireland and can not get ahold of Theresa’s Irish Whiskey Mustard prior to St. Patrick’s Day, I have provided a link below for some Irish Whiskey Mustard which is sold on Amazon. In a pinch, you could also buy some whole grain dijon style mustard and stir a Tablespoon or so of Irish Whiskey into it. Though you should really consider a trip to Ireland as soon as you can. And make sure to stop by the Limerick Milk Market on your travels there to get some of the Green Apron’s Irish Whiskey Mustard as well as some of their amazing jams and chutneys.

So there you have it! One recipe down – seven more delicious Irish inspired recipes to go in this count down to St. Patrick’s Day. Remember to check back every day until the 17th for the latest!

• Servings: 4 thighs
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe: slightly adapted from Food & Wine Chefs’ Easy Weeknight Dinners

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Irish Whiskey Mustard ( substitute = grainy mustard with 1 Tablespoon Irish Whiskey added to the mix)
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 cups crushed cornflakes
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F (230°C) Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil and set a wire rack over it.

In a large bowl, mix the mustards, Worcestershire sauce and garlic.

In a shallow dish, toss the cornflakes, salt and pepper with butter, parsley and lemon zest.

Roll each chicken thigh in the mustard mix and then dredge it in the panko mix. Transfer to the wire rack.

Bake the chicken for 30 minutes, until the crumbs are golden brown and it registers 165° F (74° C).

Enjoy!

Crispy Irish Whiskey Mustard Baked Chicken Thighs brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Crispy Irish Whiskey Mustard Baked Chicken Thighs:

Progressive Hand Grater/zester

Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer by Thermoworks

Lakeshore Wholegrain Mustard with Irish Whiskey– If you can not get to the Limerick Milk Market to buy some Irish Whiskey Mustard from The Green Apron, you can buy this  whiskey mustard

Fruit on the Table: Seasonal Recipes from the Green Apron Kitchen You won’t find the recipe for Theresa’s Irish Whiskey Mustard in this book, but there are over 100 other delicious seasonal fruit recipes to be found within, not to mention her recipes for cocktails, snacks , mains and going all the way through to desserts. And it doesn’t stop with the mouthwateringly delicious recipes, Fruit on the Table also gives you the low down on growing your own fruit, the ins and outs of preserving, tips on foraging as well as drying fruit. You simply must get yourself a copy of this essential cookbook!

 

 

 

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Harissa Chickpeas

I’ve got a delicious spicy dish for you today that will definitely warm you up this Fall…Pan-Roasted Chicken with Harissa Chickpeas. Oh my goodness! It is just absolutely delicious with that golden crispy skinned chicken and those devilish little harissa chickpeas that pack quite a punch! For folks unfamiliar with harissa, it is a spicy North African Red Chili Paste. It is available at most large grocery stores. You can sometimes find it in a can in the ethnic food section or occasionally you will find in fresh in the refrigerated section. I have also provided you with a link below if you wish to buy it online. I will warn you though that not all harissas are created equal. Some are much spicier than others, so although this recipe calls for 1/4 cup, you should definitely taste the harissa you are working with first and decide how much to add depending its spice level and your sensitivity. We love spicy in this household so we just shoveled it in!

Besides being wonderfully flavorful, this dish is also great because you only need dirty one dish to make it. You want to use a large oven-proof skillet. My 12″ le creuset skillet was just perfect. Serve this dish over couscous with a little tzatziki or other yogurt sauce on the side to help cool the burn. Just the thing to warm you up as the temperatures cool down this Fall!

• Servings: 4
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe slightly adapted from: Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/4 cup harissa paste
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Tzatziki Sauce, for serving (Optional but can help cool the burn if your harissa is very spicy!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from pan. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until beginning to darken, about 1 minute. Add chickpeas, harissa, and broth; bring to a simmer.

Nestle chicken, skin side up, in chickpeas; transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through, 20–25 minutes (until it reaches 165 °F with meat thermometer). Top with cilantro and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Enjoy!

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Harissa Chickpeas brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Links to Useful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Pan-Roasted Chicken with Harissa Chickpeas:

Le Creuset Iron Handle Skillet

Harissa

Crockpot Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup

St. Patrick’s Day is only three days away, and what would St. Patrick’s Day be without Corned Beef & Cabbage? It certainly wouldn’t do, especially for all the Irish Americans out there. I already let the cat out of the bag last year, that folks in Ireland do not actually eat Corned Beef & Cabbage. Nope. That dish evolved and came to be associated with St. Patrick’s Day here in America after the arrival of many Irish immigrants. (For more info on the history of corned beef, take a look at my Corned Beef Hash blog from last year.) So although Corned beef & Cabbage is not a traditional dish for the Irish in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day just wouldn’t be the same for Irish Americans without it. So I figured this Crockpot Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup recipe would come in handy for some folks out there. Especially the ones that really want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but are a wee bit too short on time to fuss over a big St. Patrick’s Day feast. This crock-pot soup is exactly what you need. You can get the whole St. Patrick’s Day corned beef, cabbage, potato vibe in one bowl and yet spend very little time in the kitchen.

Seriously, you just toss all of these lovely ingredients in the crock pot, turn it on and walk away. You don’t even have to head back into the kitchen for 7 hours! And truth be told, I always prepare soups the day before I want to serve them. They taste so much better after resting in the fridge overnight. All the flavors really have a chance to blend together. And another big benefit of letting this soup sit over night is that corned beef is a very fatty cut, that’s part of what makes it so delicious. However, even though you will cut away the fat when you shred the meat, I find that a lot of fat remains in the soup. Yuck! No one wants a greasy soup! You can try to skim this off of the top while it is still hot. However, if you just stick the soup in the fridge over night, that fat rises to the top and solidifies, making it a breeze to remove. Serve with pints of beer and a hunk of crusty brown bread, slathered in butter of course! Feasting on St. Patrick’s Day has never been such a breeze!

• Servings: 8 - 10
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe slightly adapted from: Pipandebby.com

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3-lb. corned beef brisket (yup…just pop it into the crock pot uncooked)
• 8 baby red potatoes, cut into small chunks
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 4 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 14.9 oz. can of Guinness Stout
• 32-oz. container chicken broth

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage, onion, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until cabbage is soft and onions are fragrant.

Add mixture to a large crockpot, along with corned beef brisket, potatoes, carrots, celery, bay leaf, thyme, Guinness & chicken broth. If the veggies are not completely covered by liquid, add water until they are.

Cook on Low heat for 7-8 hours. Remove corned beef from crockpot and place on a cutting board. Shred Corned Beef with two forks, removing and discarding fat. If any of the shredded meat is too long, cut into smaller bite-sized lengths. Return meat to the crockpot and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

You can serve the soup immediately if you wish, but I usually refrigerate it overnight. The next morning, the fat will have risen to the top and solidified. Remove the fat, reheat soup and serve with crusty brown bread.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Helpful Links to Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Crockpot Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup:

Crock-Pot Slow Cooker

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irish Pizza with Corned Beef, Leeks, Crispy Potato & Irish Cheddar

I don’t know about you, but around here, we love pizza, especially Neapolitan style thin-crust pizzas. And we have definitely gotten into making our own pies here at home. We’ve slowly collected all the gear to use on Pizza Night; the pizza stone for baking, pizza paddles for transferring it to the oven, and quite a few of the pizza specialty flours from King Arthur Flour. We love experimenting with different toppings as well as crusts. So finding myself with a bit of left over corned beef and taking some inspiration from an Irish Pizza I saw over at Lexi Bites blog, we decided to make our own version of an Irish Pizza. This Hibernian gem has a thin Guinness infused pizza crust which is topped with shredded corned beef, leeks, crispy potatoes, thyme and Irish Cheddar. Rather than a red sauce, I used leftover Horseradish Cream Sauce which I usually serve with my annual St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef feast. What a tasty pie!

I will take this opportunity to give you a wee bit of advice on the making of a thin crust pizza though. The absolute most difficult thing we’ve encountered in all our pizza making endeavors is simply not overloading the crust. Man is that hard! I mean, you’ve got all these delicious toppings just sitting there right? If a little is good, more has to be better…Not true! Tons of toppings will quickly weigh down a thing crust pizza, making it nearly impossible to transfer from the pizza paddle onto the stone and will often make the crust soggy. So you must exercise restraint here! And if you really don’t think you’d be into making your own pizza dough, I get it. You can run out and get a store-bought crust and proceed with the Irish-y toppings. It’s a great way to use up some leftovers. Pour a few pints and get busy…bet you’ll have some fun and have a tasty meal to boot!

Irish Pizza with Corned Beef, Leeks, Crispy Potatoes & Irish Cheddar

• Servings: makes 2 - 10 inch pizzas
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipes adapted from: King Arthur Flour (for the Guinness Pizza Crust), & Lexi Bites (pizza topping inspiration)

Ingredients:

For the Ultra-Thin Guinness Pizza Crust:

• 3 Cups (372 grams) King Arthur Flour Perfect Pizza Blend flour ( or can substitute in 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup semolina flour & 1/2 cup durum flour)
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 – 1 1/4 cups warm (98° – 110° F, 37°C) Guinness Stout (you can substitute water in place of the Guinness if you wish, though I’m not sure why you would…)

For the Pizza Toppings:

• 1 – 1 1/2 cups leftover corned beef, shredded or cut into smaller pieces
• 4 leeks, thinly sliced and sautéed in butter until softened
• 1/3 cup Horseradish Cream Sauce (recipe to follow) if you don’t like horseradish, substitute plain sour cream
• 1 cup hash browns, cooked until crispy
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup Irish Cheddar, shredded
• 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves only, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

Directions:

Combine the dry ingredients, oil, and 1 cup of Guinness, mixing and kneading everything together by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle until you’ve made a soft, smooth dough. The dough should be soft and supple; adjust with additional Guinness or flour if needed. If you’re kneading in a stand mixer, it should take 4 to 5 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom.

Place the dough in a dough rising bucket, or large bowl, lightly covered with plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it begins to look puffy. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425°F. If you are using a baking stone to bake the pizza on, place it into the oven at this time.

While the dough is rising, prepare all of your toppings; chop the leftover corned beef, sauté the leeks and set them aside to cool, cook the hash browns until crispy and set aside to cool, grate the cheese, chop the thyme and chives, mix up the Horseradish Cream Sauce. (recipe noted below).

Once the dough has risen, divide it into two equal portions and place each on a lightly oiled 12″ pizza pan, or on parchment paper lightly spritzed with cooking spray. 

Use your fingers to press the dough outward from the center to make a very thin, flat circle about 12″ across. 

Spread the toppings over the dough, keeping in mind not to overload the thin crust. Hold the chives aside to sprinkle over the pizzas once they are out of the oven

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is hot and bubbly.

Top with chives and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Horseradish Cream Sauce

This recipe will make far more sauce than you need for your pizza’s. However, it is delicious to have on hand to eat with any leftover corned beef and/or potatoes. It is also great on the Colcannon Skillet Cakes.

Recipe adapted from: Bon Appetit

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 6 tablespoons prepared white horseradish (about 4 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or green onion tops

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl to blend. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Irish Pizza brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Helpful Links to Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Irish Pizza:

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

Thermoworks Super-Fast Thermapen Cooking Thermometer

6 Quart Dough Rising Bucket

SAF Instant Yeast

Emile Henry Flame Top Pizza Stone

King Arthur Flour Perfect Pizza Blend Flour

 

 

 

Creamy Spinach & Mushroom Lentils

Well…..Spring has definitely not arrived yet! It is COLD. You know, single digit cold which is saying something when you are dealing with the old Fahrenheit temperature scale as we still do. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, it is February for goodness sake. What was I expecting? That dear old groundhog seems to have inspired me to jump the gun a bit on thoughts of Spring. Thank goodness I have this great Winter warmer of a recipe in these Creamy Spinach & Mushroom Lentils. Comforting and tasty, this is just what you want to see on your dinner table. And, since there isn’t any meat to be found in  the mix, it is just perfect on a Meatless Monday.

Not only is this dish yummy, but it is so easy to make. You only need one pot, which is a huge mark in its favor. And as it turns out, lentils are actually very good for you. These little legumes are chock full of B vitamins, are low in fat and high in fiber and protein. Indeed, lentil have the second highest ratio of protein to calorie of any of the legumes. They keep you feeling full for longer and can also lower your cholesterol and possibly reduce your risk of heart disease. Good stuff there! All these benefits and they actually taste great! Thick & hearty, this creamy lentil stew will give you the strength to hang in there until these last days of Winter blow themselves out!

• Servings: 4 - 6 servings
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Recipe slightly adapted from: Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• half a yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 cups uncooked lentils, rinsed
• 2 medium Yukon potatoes, chopped (about 1 cup total)
• 4 cups chicken broth (plan to add a few more cups as needed while cooking)
• 1 bay leaf
• a few sprigs fresh parsley
• a few springs fresh thyme
• ½ cup half and half
• 5 ounces packed fresh baby spinach
• salt and pepper to taste (be generous with the salt! – but remember not to add it until the lentils have finished cooking)
• olive oil, red wine vinegar and freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Saute for 10 minutes until the vegetables are softened and fragrant. Add the paprika and stir to coat. Next, add in the wine to deglaze the pan – a fancy term for scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add the lentils, potatoes, broth, bay leaf, parsley, and thyme. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more broth as necessary so the lentils are just barely covered in liquid. When the lentils and potatoes are soft, gently mash the potatoes against the side of the pot with the back of the wooden spoon to thicken the mixture.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems, add the half and half and spinach. Stir to incorporate. At this point you can season with salt and pepper (season, taste, adjust, repeat). If you add the salt prior to the lentils being done, it actually makes them take longer to cook. So you’ll be glad that you waited! Top each bowl with a drizzle of good olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar and a dusting of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve with a big hunk of cornbread or crusty rustic bread.

Enjoy!

Creamy Spinach & Mushroom Lentils brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

 

 

Vietnamese Shredded Chicken Salad

The weather around here recently has been pretty wonky. Like it has a split personality or something. Seriously…I was pretty sure we were doing the Fall thing around here and the next thing I knew was the mercury shot up to 80°F only to plunge down to 43°F the following evening! What the what! And it wasn’t done there. Nope…it plunged down to scarcely above freezing. Had me scrambling to get the plants inside. But now we’re back up into the mid-70’s. It is a wonder my head hasn’t totally exploded. Not to mention, while all that roller coaster weather nonsense is happening, I’m in the midst of a big house renovation. Nothing like walking through a fog of dry wall dust every day! But the good news is that I will finally have a master bathroom again. Ours burned up about 1 1/2 years ago now. (Time for my own little Public Service Announcement: If your bathroom exhaust fan was made prior to 1990 – it does not have a thermal fuse in it, which means if the bearings seize up, the fan can become so hot that it can catch the surrounding insulation on fire!) Our reaction? The husband and I just nailed up some plywood, boarded that thing up and have been using the guest bath down the hall ever since! Pretty pathetic huh? We just couldn’t decide what we kind of renovation we wanted to do. Oh well – we did finally get it together and in a few weeks I’ll be soaking in my glorious new bath tub! But in the meantime, this place is a complete shambles! So I’m going to share a wonderful recipe with you today which not only comes together quickly and easily with minimal preparation but also tastes fantastic and refreshing. Vietnamese Shredded Chicken Salad.

This delicious dish comes from one of my favourite blogs Once Upon a Chef. Every recipe of Jenn’s that I’ve ever made has been a winner. And this was no exception! So if you’re having a rather hectic day, this salad, which is just bursting with fresh Asian flavors, is just what you need to help you deliciously reign in some of that chaos.

• Servings: 2-3
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: Once Upon a Chef

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

• 2 heaping cups cooked shredded chicken, from one store-bought rotisserie chicken
• 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup grated or matchstick carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 -2 thai red peppers, chopped (optional: add if you like it spicy!)
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, from about 3 limes
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce (preferably a brand imported from Thailand or Vietnam)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

In a large salad bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients except for the peanuts. In a separate bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing; whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Right before serving, toss the dressing with the salad. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the peanuts. Serve cold.

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Shredded Chicken Salad brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)