Weather you are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or not. You will love the simplicity and taste that come with some traditional Irish Recipes. We have listed 3 below. That will fill you up whilst keeping your bank account safe.
Slow Cooked Irish Stew
Ingredients
1 tbsp sunflower oil
200g smoked streaky bacon, preferably in one piece, skinned and cut into chunks
900g cheap stewing lamb like middle neck or scrag (ask at your butcher counter), cut into large chunks
small bunch thyme
3 onions, thickly sliced
5 carrots, cut into big chunks
6 medium potatoes, cut into big chunks
700ml lamb stock
3 bay leaves
85g pearl barley
1 large leek, washed and cut into chunks
small knob of butter
Method
STEP 1
Heat the slow cooker if necessary, then heat the oil in a frying pan. Sizzle the bacon until crisp, tip into the slow-cooker pot, then brown the chunks of lamb in the pan. Transfer to the slow-cooker pot along with the thyme, onions, carrots, potatoes, stock, bay leaves and enough water to cover the lamb. Cover and cook on Low for 7 hrs.
STEP 2
Stir in the pearl barley and leek, and cook on High for 1 hr more until the pearl barley is tender.
STEP 3
Stir in the butter, season and serve scooped straight from the dish.
Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese
Ingredients
For the potato cakes
1kg baking potatoes
100g butter, melted
100g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the topping
280g tub full-fat cream cheese
100ml double cream
zest and juice 1 lemon
200g pack smoked salmon slices, cut into strips
small bunch dill, fronds picked
50g caperberries, halved
Method
STEP 1
Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, then bake whole for 1 hr 20 mins or until crisp on the outside and fluffy inside. Set aside on a wire rack to cool. Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
STEP 2
Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut in half and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl, discarding the skins. Mash the potato really well, then mix in two-thirds of the melted butter, all the flour and the bicarbonate of soda. Season well.
STEP 3
Line a large (approx 35 x 25cm) baking tray with a piece of baking parchment and brush with half the remaining butter. Roll out the potato dough on a floured surface, then lay it on the lined baking tray – don’t worry if it breaks, just push the pieces back together once on the tray. Brush the dough with the remaining melted butter and bake for 45 mins or until golden brown on the outside.
STEP 4
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray. Meanwhile, put the cream cheese in a large bowl and whisk until smooth and light. Stir in the double cream and lemon juice, and season well with black pepper. Spread the cream cheese mixture all over the surface of the cooled potato cake. Use a large, sharp knife to cut the potato cake into 30 squares, then top with the strips of salmon, the dill fronds, caperberries and lemon zest. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.
Potato and Spring Onion Breakfast Pancakes
Ingredients
140g floury potatoes (weighed after peeling), cut into large chunks
50g self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 large eggs
5 tbsp milk
3 spring onions , finely chopped
2 tsp sunflower oil , plus extra if needed
knob of butter
6 rashers streaky bacon (smoked or unsmoked)
Method
STEP 1
Put the potatoes in a large pan of salted water and boil until tender. Drain well, tip back into the pan, shake for 1 min over a gentle heat to dry them off, then mash and leave to cool.
STEP 2
Put the cooled mash in a bowl with the flour and bicarb. Whisk 1 egg with the milk, season, tip into the bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in the spring onions, reserving some to serve.
STEP 3
In a non-stick frying pan, heat half the oil and butter until sizzling, then spoon in half the pancake batter to make 3 pancakes. Cook for 1 min or so on each side until browned and set underneath, then flip and cook the other side. Keep warm in the oven while you make 3 more pancakes.
STEP 4
Wipe out the pan, add the bacon and sizzle until almost crisp. Push to one side and crack in the 2 remaining eggs – with a splash more oil if needed. Fry to your liking, then serve with the pancakes and bacon, sprinkled with the remaining spring onions.
These recipes were adapted from posts originally on BBC Good Food. For the originals, as well as nutritional information and more classic recipes, go to:
If you tried any of these at home, let us know!