RACHEL ALLEN

Delicious tapas with an Irish twist

“Perfect for the ever-indecisive who regularly get food envy of what the person next to them is eating”

It’s no great surprise that tapas-style eating has grabbed not only our nation, but many others around the world, too. Eating out with friends, or indeed dining at home, is made all the more fun and convivial by sharing, and dipping into a selection of starters.

Tapas are perfect for the ever-indecisive; those who, like me, regularly get food envy because of what the person next to them is eating. I’m known for wanting to taste what everyone else has chosen, and that’s not just because I’m a bit of a glutton — I just sometimes get a little bit bored by eating the one thing all the way through a meal.

The trick to cooking this kind of food at home is, of course, to choose your dishes wisely and not decide on 10 labour-intensive recipes to whip up on your own. Simple and a bit sassy is the key. Seeing as everyone around the world is a little bit Irish this weekend, let’s embrace our Irishness and make the most of our delicious native produce.

Of course, potatoes have to feature somewhere, so these little potato cakes flavoured with punchy chives and served with the best Irish smoked salmon, far right, is one of those dishes that’s definitely more than the sum of its parts. Seek out your local smoked salmon; a little bit will go a long way with these babies.

Black pudding is, of course, a favourite to eat here, and not just for breakfast. Combining it with blue cheese and a small bit of pickled beetroot works a treat on mini-toasts, as in the recipe, right.

And if you’re to ask what my favourite ingredient is, I might just say chorizo. Seek out one that’s made here, such as Gubbeen Smokehouse chorizo, and you have the basis for countless recipes, but when it’s cooked with some Irish cider, lots of chopped parsley or wild garlic and a bit of butter, I can’t think of a nicer thing to dip some warm crusty white bread into.