A Little Irish, Hold the Green Dye
Even if your genetic roots are a far cry from the Northern Isle, if you have a taste for green dyed lager and a plate of corned beef, then at least for this one day a year perhaps you can put on your best green outfit, and after a green beer or two, proclaim “Kiss me, I’m Irish.”
If green dye in beer is not your thing on St. Paddy's Day, grab a pint of Guinness and prove how Irish you really are. The brainchild of Arthur Guinness, some version of this famous beer has been brewed since 1759 at St. James Gate in Dublin, Ireland. Guinness is probably the most widely recognized example of a category of beers called Irish stouts. The dark, rich, complex taste of stouts comes from toasted malt and a distinctive bitterness.
The taste of a Guinness has often been compared with that of coffee or chocolate which lends itself well to not just drinking, but cooking. If you have more time to cook, try braising beef such as short ribs in Guinness rather than wine. For the quick kitchen, Guinness can be used as part of a poaching liquid for a tenderer cut of meat such as fillet.
The best part about St. Patrick’s Day in the United States is that anyone who wants to can be Irish for a Day just by adding a little green. We wear green to avoid getting pinched, and we drink and eat green, well, because that is the color of the day. I can’t remember the last time anyone deemed a spinach salad an appropriate use of the color green for a St. Paddy's day feast. But the color seems to turn up just about everywhere else, from the ubiquitous green-dyed beer, to green eggs and ham, to Shamrock milkshakes at McDonalds.
If green food coloring is more likely to make your stomach turn than give you the luck of the Irish, the good news is there are many naturally occurring green colored foods in the American diet that can get you the same desired celebratory effect. If a plate of leafy greens is a little too dark for a celebration, many green herbs from basil to flat leaf parsley or cilantro can be used to get that desired a color. A pesto made with parsley and basil can punch up everything with a lively shade of green, from pasta to mashed potatoes.
Speaking of potatoes, no food could be more Irish. Potatoes are so much a part of that country’s diet that a famine was named after it. In the 1840s a pathogenic water mold was brought to Europe on ships coming from America, infecting the potato crops all over Europe and wiping out 20-25% of Ireland’s population. But in spite of the sadness associated with that time in history, potatoes are still a staple of Irish cuisine. Boiled, mashed, baked, dyed green, or slathered in pesto, have some potatoes and you will be well on your way to finding your inner Irish.
Ireland may not be known as a bastion of haute cuisine, but what the good ol' Irish lack in culinary finesse they make up for in spirit. It is that spirit that makes everyone want to be a little Irish if but for one day a year. So whether you find yourself caught up in a St. Patrick’s Day parade in London or in Hermosa Beach, California, wear a little green, grab a plate of potatoes, and tell the bartender to pour you a Guinness. Everyone wants to be a little Irish after a few pints of this stuff. And it ain't even green.
Made with salt, Guinness, chicken stock, thyme, garlic, peppercorns, ground cinnamon, brown sugar, beef tenderloin filets, black pepper
Serves/Makes: 4
- 2 pounds idaho potatoes
- salt
- 2 cans (14.9 ounce size) Guinness
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled, whole
- 6 peppercorns
- 1 dash ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- 4 (4 ounce size) beef tenderloin filets
- black pepper
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
- 1 handful basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Thyme or parsley
Peel potatoes. Cut into pieces about 2 inches by 2 inches and add to a pot of cold water covering the potatoes by about an inch. Add generous salt to the water and bring pot to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes until a knife easily pierces through boiled potatoes.
Meanwhile, in a pot that will snugly fit filets side by side, add half the Guinness, chicken stock, thyme, the whole garlic cloves, whole peppercorns, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil.
Season meat on both sides with salt and pepper. Add meat to boiling poaching liquid. Return to a boil, reduce to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 8 for medium rare, longer or shorter depending on desired doneness, turning over once half way through cooking.
Roughly chop flat leaf parsley and basil. Add both herbs to a blender with minced garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, some salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add more salt and pepper to pesto to taste. When potatoes are done, drain then return to the pot they were cooked in. Add pesto and mash potatoes and pesto together until smooth adding more salt and pepper to taste. Keep mashed potatoes over a low flame on stove top until meat is ready.
When meat is cooked to desired doneness remove to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain poaching liquid and discard solids. Return liquid to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce liquid by one third. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted along with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, mound some potatoes in the center of the plate and top with a poached filet. Drizzle with about 1/4 cup of poaching liquid. Top with parsley or thyme sprig for garnish.
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