St. Patrick's Day is quickly approaching, and I love listening to Irish music. Being of Irish descent I grew up listening to the Irish Rovers, Tommy Mekem and the Clancy Brothers and always wore green on St. Paddy's Day. But one of my favorite things about this Irish celebration was the food. So I would like to share some of the recipes that were cooked in my home here in Cape Breton. I hope you enjoy them. And Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.

Boxty

READY IN: 25mins

YIELD: 16 potato cakes

UNITS: US

Ingredients

Nutrition

1 lb boiling potato, peeled

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 eggs, beaten

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

2 tablespoons flour

2 -4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Line a large bowl with a piece of muslin or cheesecloth, or a clean linen towel.

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the potatoes into the bowl.

Squeeze the cloth to extract as much of the starchy liquid as possible.

Discard the starchy liquid, return the potatoes to the bowl, and stir in the onion, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Add the flour and mix well.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat.

Drop the potato mixture, 1 tablespoonful at a time, into the skillet; do not crowd the pan.

Flatten each cake with a spatula and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and crisp.

Bangers and Mash With Onion Gravy

Ingredients

Nutrition

2 lbs pork sausage, of good quality

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

2 lbs potatoes (start mash)

1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)

1⁄4 teaspoon ground pepper, to taste

1⁄3 cup milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (now gravy)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 red onions, halved and finely sliced

1 1⁄2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 cup red wine, full-bodied, such as Shiraz

1 cup beef stock

1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt, to taste

1⁄4 teaspoon ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Place sausages in a roasting pan, drizzle with sunflower oil and toss to coat.

Spread sausages out in single layer and bake, turning after 15 minutes, until evenly colored, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the mash: Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks. Place in saucepan with water to cover, salt water and bring to boil over medium heat.

Cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.

Drain, cover with a kitchen towel and let stand until dry, about 5 minutes.

In same pan over medium-high heat, combine milk and butter and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Place potatoes in a bowl and mash. Add milk mixture and beat until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make gravy, in a wide shallow saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add onions and cook, until they are soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until lightly colored, 2-3 minutes. Stir in vinegar and cook until evaporated. Stir in red wine and stock, increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until a rich sauce forms, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, serve and enjoy.

Colcannon Irish Potatoes

In the following colcannon recipe, we mix the mashed potatoes in with chopped cooked spinach, green onions, milk or cream, and lots of butter. Colcannon

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 25 minutesYield: Serves 4 as a side dish

For a variation, sub out half of the potatoes with parsnips. Can add chives, leeks, or bacon too.

Ingredients

4 russet potatoes (2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into large chunks

Salt

5 to 6 Tbsp unsalted butter (with more butter for serving)

3 lightly packed cups of chopped spinach, cabbage, chard, or other leafy green

3 green onions (including the green onion greens), minced (about 1/2 cup)

1 cup milk or cream

Method

1 Boil the potatoes: Put the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water by at least an inch. Add 2 tablespoons of salt, and bring to a boil.

Boil until the potatoes are fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain in a colander.

2 Cook the greens and the green onions with butter: Return the pot to the stove and set over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pot and once it's hot, add the greens.

Cook the greens for 3-4 minutes, or until they are wilted and have given off some of their water.

Add the green onions and cook 1 minute more.

3 Mash the potatoes with milk or cream and greens: Pour in the milk or cream, mix well, and add the potatoes. Reduce the heat to medium.

Use a fork or potato masher and mash the potatoes, mixing them up with the greens.

Add salt to taste and serve hot, with a knob of butter in the center.

Irish Stew

3 pounds lamb shoulder cut in 2-inch chunks (or use thick shoulder chops)

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 pounds onions (about 6 medium), cut in wedges

1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), cut in 3-inch lengths

4 cups chicken, veal or beef broth (or water)

1 large sprig thyme

3 pounds russet potatoes (about 12 small), peeled and halved, or cut in 2-inch thick slices

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Preparation

Pat lamb dry and season well with salt and pepper. Put oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat on all sides, working in batches.

Set meat aside and add onions and carrots to pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook vegetables, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Return meat to pot, add broth and bring to a simmer. Put in thyme sprig and arrange potatoes on top (it’s fine if potatoes are not completely submerged). Season potatoes, cover pot and transfer to oven.

Bake for about 1 hour, until lamb is quite tender when probed with a skewer or paring knife. Remove fat from top of broth. Ladle stew into shallow bowls and serve.

Traditional Corn Beef & Cabbage

Ingredients

3 Pounds Corned Beef Brisket with spice package

Water to cover beef

2 Tbs. Old Bay Seasoning

3 Cloves Garlic crushed

1 Tbs. Mustard Seeds

2 Bay Leaves Whole

2 Tbs. Black Peppercorns whole

2 Tbs. Vinegar

1 Cup Onions

1-1/2 Pounds Potatoes

6 Large Carrots cut into 2inch pieces

1 Large Head of Cabbage cut in wedges

Directions

Cover the brisket with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to simmer. Skim off any foam.

Add all of the spices and vinegar and simmer until tender. About 50 minutes per pound. Remove the brisket when tender and keep warm.

Reduce the broth and add onions, carrots and potatoes and cook until tender.

Add the cabbage wedges the last 15 minutes and cook until just tender. Do not overcook.

Put the brisket back in and heat through.

Slice the brisket against the grain.