Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish potatoes
Next week, potato recipes will be dusted off once again for St. Patrick’s Day. Unlike the day’s traditional cabbage and corned beef, potatoes remain crucial to Irish cookery. Worldwide, the Irish eat about 73 pounds per capita per year, more than any other side dish.
Irish Scalloped Potatoes is typical of the genre. The Irish crave combinations of foods that complement each other. The scalloped is a happy coincidence of flavors.
A cheese sauce with green onions and sharp flavorings is hearty enough for an Irish breakfast. This is served all day and often is the largest meal.
A “full” Irish breakfast is a real groaner of a meal often including fried or scalloped potatoes, at least two types of meat, plus fish, vegetables, sliced tomatoes and a side plate of eggs with sodabread toast, butter and jam.
It’s good any time and fine left over, perhaps for the next day’s breakfast.
Irish scalloped potatoes
1 cup onions, diced
4 medium potatoes unpeeled, thinly sliced
1 cup ham, cubed 1⁄2 cup green onion with tops, sliced 1⁄2 cup sharp cheddar or bleu cheese (Irish Cashel)
1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons butter 1 ⁄2 half cups milk 2 tablespoons flour
Dash of black pepper
Dash of paprika 1 teaspoon brown mustard 2 tablespoons minced parsley
Cover potatoes in water and boil for 5 minutes, no longer. Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in flour. Whisk in milk, salt, black pepper, bleu cheese (or cheddar), paprika and mustard. Continue stirring until mixture thickens somewhat.
Grease a casserole dish. Layer drained potatoes with the ham and onion. Bake uncovered in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes. Test for doneness and continue baking if needed. Serves 4.
ACROSS
1 Collar insert
5 Criticize harshly
9 Cabaret charge
11 Distress signal
12 Past plump
13 External
14 Came in first
15 Pulling with effort
17 Timber business
19 Scottish denial
20 Make sport of
21 — relief
22 Stock unit
24 Driving aid
26 Game units
29 Actor Affleck
30 Ankle-to-waist
wear
32 Falling behind
34 Lot sight
35 Find charming
36 Chef’s mushroom
38 Suffering ennui
39 Valleys
40 Influence
41 Mosquito or gnat
DOWN
1 Disapproving look
2 In addition
3 Get even for
4 Agreeable answer 5 6
7 8 10 11 16 18 21
Wallop Bilingual woman, maybe Sports spots On-ramp sign Really like Verne’s traveler Left on the plate Shocked sound Ice chunk 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 33 37
Hardy Grazing spot Soft wool Kidman of film Medusa’s hair Spills the beans Wasn’t honest Grain to grind Dreary shade Catch some z’s