Cooking up an Irish Feast.

A few years ago one of the girls dreamed about making ‘potato cakes’ in such detail that Max followed their recipe the next day and made them for her. This year I will yet again be kicking my heels while the chief cook and bottle washer of the house partakes of that delight which is men playing cricket around the world, so I might have to do more of the cooking. I thought I would go back to my own Irish roots and come up with something based around that idea. I decided to try and keep as Irish as possible so went for potato, Irish beef and brussel sprouts with some twists of my own to try and make them unique. (I never cook, I never look at recipe sites, so I have no idea if they actually are!)

I have to say I am very pleased with the results.

Main Ingredients.

• 3 large potatoes
• 3 large tbsps 0% Greek Yoghurt
•  some butter
• 150g  plain flour
• 150ml milk
• 1 egg
•  spray fat
• salt and pepper
• 350g Irish Beef strips
• brussel sprouts
• spring onions

Method for Potato Cakes.

1. Boil and mash 1 and a 1/2 of the potatoes with a little of the milk. Season with salt.
2. Grate and strain the other 1 and 1/2 potatoes with added salt until excess liquid removed.
3. Place both cooked potato mixtures in bowl with flour, egg, remaining milk, spring onion and greek yoghurt. Mix.
4. Heat pan with spray fat and add some butter. Fry small patties of the potato mixture, turning when brown. Place on baking tray. Add some chopped brussel sprouts to the second half of the mixture for variety.
5. Place in oven to firm and keep warm at 180c.

Method for Brussels.

1. Using the same pan, refresh spray fat and add chopped brussel sprouts.
2. CAREFULLY add a small amount of water to soften the veg quickly.
3. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice. Toss quickly and place in warmed, covered serving bowl in the oven.

Method for Beef.

1. Using the same pan to retain flavour, heat, add spray oil and toss beef in when sizzling.
2. Add lemon, salt, pepper and sage to taste, heat fast while keeping moving and lift out with tongs directly on to warmed plate.

The sage in the beef was a cheerful and totally ‘unculinary’ nod to the Irish Druids, but it worked beautifully. I’m so proud! I think it is entirely possible I might actually cook this again. 😀

Can I also just say how much I like “reuse the pan to retain flavours” as an alternative to “do lots of washing up because this isn’t a TV show with staff to do those bits for you”.

‘I was asked by Betfair to take part in the Cricket World Cup Recipe challenge’.