Irish Food That's Not Corned Beef and Cabbage

Last year around this time I posted a blog entitled "Irish Recipes That I'd Actually Make". I'm not a fan of corned beef and cabbage nor of Irish soda bread, but I do like making themed recipes around holidays. Last year's recipes were beef stew, shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, boxty, steak pasties, and Irish whiskey cake. This year's recipes are lamb stew, potato rolls, Dublin Coddle, steak and Guinness pie, whiskey roasted salmon, and Bailey's chocolate chip cheesecake. Please note that none of these recipes involve cabbage of any kind. (You're welcome.)

Lamb Stew
Lamb and beef are both common proteins in Irish cooking. so it's no surprise that stew recipes for both abound. The Guinness adds a depth of flavor, but if you're not a beer drinker and don't want to have to bother with buying a single bottle of it, just substitute additional chicken broth. You can also freeze individual portions; simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then warm in a saucepan, adding a bit of water if needed.

2 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
12 oz. Guinness stout (or additional chicken broth)
6 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
4 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1-2 teaspoons salt, to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (or half and half)

Heat the butter and oil in an oven-safe Dutch oven and brown the lamb. Remove meat and cover to keep warm. In the same oil, saute carrots and onions until tender but still crisp. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add broth and beer. Stir in lamb and remaining ingredients except cream. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until meat is tender, stirring every 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Stir in cream and return to oven for a few minutes until heated through.

Potato Rolls
What better to sop up the remains of the stew than a good, hearty potato roll? The potato gives a light texture and creaminess that nothing could improve, except possibly a good dollop of fresh Irish butter.

1 packet yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water (handwashing warm)
1 cup mashed potatoes (real or instant)
2/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
5-6 cups flour
Melted butter

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, combine potatoes, butter, eggs, sugar, honey, and salt. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Stir the yeast mixture into the cooled scalded milk and add to potatoes, mixing on low speed until blended. Gradually add flour until a soft dough forms. Using a dough hook, knead for 5 minutes on low (if you don't have a dough hook, knead by hand in the bowl). Spray a large mixing bowl with nonstick spray and place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down and shape into rolls. Place rolls 2" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet or arrange in three 8- or 9-inch round pans (recipe makes about 21 rolls). Cover and let rise again until increased by one-third. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-13 minutes. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter.

Dublin Coddle
The "coddle" in Dublin Coddle is because this dish is cooked slowly and gently. You can find slow cooker recipes, but this version cooks in a 300-degree oven for a few hours instead. Some recipes also include carrots, which add color, flavor, and nutritional value, and feel free to use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand. Any version is delicious!

10 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-3/4 pounds pork sausage (about 5 links)
4 small yellow onions, diced
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
3-1/2 pounds russet potatoes, roughly peeled (i.e., leave some strips of peel on)
salt and pepper
2 cups chicken or beef broth

In an oven-safe Dutch oven, brown the bacon over medium to medium-low until cooked and crispy (about 18-20 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. In the same pan, sear the sausages for 3-4 minutes on both sides, then slice into thirds. Remove the pot from the heat and layer onions with a pinch of salt and 1/3 of the parsley, bacon, sausages, another third of the parsley, potatoes, another pinch of both salt and pepper, and the remaining parsley. Pour chicken broth over, cover, and return to heat. Bring to a boil, then bake (covered) in a 300-degree oven for 1-1/2 hours or until potatoes are fork tender. Serve with crusty bread.

Steak and Guinness Pie
Pies and pasties (a free-form pie, not baked in a dish) are both popular in Irish cuisine. You can make homemade pastry if you like, but frozen puff pastry is a lot easier and (almost) as delicious. The beef is the star of this dish, anyway.

1-1/2 pounds stew beef, diced
salt and pepper to taste
2 heaping tablespoons flour
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2-3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
about a handful of fresh rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, or a combination
2 cups Guinness stout, other stout beer, or beef stock
28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg, beaten

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper and toss in flour to coat (easiest to do in a big ziploc bag). In a large, deep pan, heat the oil over medium-high and brown the meat. Do in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute, then add the carrots, potatoes, and herbs. Cook for 4 minutes or so, then add the Guinness (or stock) and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to low, then simmer for 2 hours until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thickened. Season to taste. Pour the meat and sauce into a large baking dish (or individual ramekins). Roll out the puff pastry until about 1/4" thick. Cut out a circle about 1/2" larger than the diameter of the bowl. Brush the rim of the bowl with beaten egg and lay the pastry circle on top, pressing down the edge to seal. Lightly score the top of the pastry in a criss-cross pattern and brush with remaining egg. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Whiskey-Roasted Salmon
I don't generally think of fish when I think of Irish cooking, but I'm not sure why, because a good deal of Ireland is coastline! But it's the delicious honey and whiskey marinade that makes this particular recipe a real Irish dish. Grill the salmon if you can, but if grilling isn't an option, baking it in the oven works just fine.

2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Irish whiskey
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 salmon fillets

Mix together all ingredients except fillets. Place the fillets in a shallow rimmed dish and pour the marinade over them. Marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or 4 hours in the fridge. Remove from marinade and grill on a greased grill or place on a greased rack over a roasting pan and bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes, basting once with remaining marinade halfway through cooking.

Bailey's Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Okay, this is probably not a "traditional Irish recipe" by any stretch of the imagination, but it involves Bailey's Irish Cream, which makes it Irish, and it looks AMAZING, which makes it included here.

For the crust:
1/2 cup toasted pecans, cooled and crushed
2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

For the filling:
2-1/4 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1-2/3 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 cup Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the topping:
1 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
chocolate curls, for decoration

Combine all crust ingredients and press into a 10" springform pan, covering the bottom and 1" up the sides. Bake at 325 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar, then eggs, one at a time. Beat in Bailey's and vanilla. Sprinkle half of the chocolate chips into baked crust, then spoon in the filling and top with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, until puffed, springy in center, and golden brown. Place a pan of water on bottom rack of oven while baking to keep moist.

Beat together topping ingredients except chocolate curls, and spread over cooled cake. Decorate with chocolate curls. Refrigerate for one day before serving.