To cook something celebratory and suitably Irish for this St Patrick’s Day weekend, I have chosen to go green and use as many Irish ingredients as I can. Choosing local eggs and ensuring the ham is definitely Irish is enough to make this patriotic as well as delicious. Instead of the traditional muffin I’ve chosen to make potato farls. Their melt-in-the-mouth texture is a real treat and an alternative way of serving potatoes.
I once saw a documentary about how to encourage children to eat healthier food. There were kids that had only eaten crisp sandwiches for the past two years, which most of us would love to do in an ideal world. The “specialist” advising the worried parents suggested dyeing the food different colours to make it more appealing: bright-purple mashed potatoes, vivid orange cauliflower and bright green eggs a la Dr Seuss. I’m all for making pancakes look like teddy bears’ faces and making fish cakes in fish shapes, but I think there’s nothing less appetising than food that’s been artificially coloured. Children shouldn’t grow up to think that scrambled egg should be glittery.
There are many recipes for green eggs and ham. A quick flick through Google images will reveal some horrific Hulk-like versions. I like to keep my green eggs au naturel. Nigella Lawson's version involves a pesto-laced pancake batter; she folds the ham into the crepe once cooked. Donal Skehan makes a gorgeous spinach-packed crepe that he folds with ham and Gruyère.
My own version is quite pared-back and keeps all of the elements apart until the last minute. It comprises a perfectly crisp homemade potato farl topped with salty smoked ham, a soft-yolked egg and a handful of mixed greens. Try to get really nice leaves for this. I used a mixture of organic watercress, rocket and baby spinach. Rocket on its own would be lovely and peppery too. The leaves begin to wilt once they hit the hot dish, so serve as soon as possible. I’ve used shop-bought honey roast ham but have tried to get it as close to the home-cooked-style ham as I could. This is the perfect way to use any lovely leftovers if you do cook a ham.
If this isn’t “green eggs” enough, use a fresh parsley pesto mixed with extra olive oil as a salad dressing and drizzle all over the plate. I’m obsessed with parsley pesto and find that it really enhances most dishes.
If you haven’t cooked potato farls before, now is the time to try. These are very easy to make and a great way to use up leftover mashed potato. The outside becomes crispy and golden, while the inside is fondant-like and buttery soft. For even more green, you can fold in some fresh pesto or finely chopped parsley. Farls are a great addition to a cooked breakfast, with black pudding and roast tomatoes. I usually serve them with eggs but they are also a great alternative to French toast when served with crispy bacon and maple syrup. Farls are a delicious comfort food that complete this patriotic dish.
GREEN EGGS AND HAM: SERVES 4
The five ingredients
- 500g potato, floury variety such as Désirée
- 50g self-raising flour
- 4 eggs
- 4-8 slices honey-roast ham
- 4 handfuls of mixed salad leaves
From the pantry
- 50g butter
- Salt
- Pepper
- Sunflower or olive oil
Method
Peel and quarter the potatoes. Boil for 15 minutes in water until tender. Drain well and return to the pan. Add the butter and mash until smooth. Season with plenty of salt and pepper and stir the flour through. It should become almost dough-like and come away from the sides of the bowl.
Halve the dough. On a floured surface, shape each half into a flat circular cake about 2cm thick. Cut the cake in quarters; this will give you eight farls.
Melt a little butter in a frying pan. Fry the farls in batches. Once each one is crispy and browned, turn over and cook the other side. Keep the farls warm in a low oven while you cook the eggs.
Heat two to three tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the eggs until the whites are set and the yolk cooked to your liking.
To serve, place two farls on each warm plate. Top with a slice or two of ham, a fried egg and a handful of salad leaves. Serve immediately.
Every Thursday we’ll tweet the five ingredients from @lillyhiggins and @irishtimeslife so you can have them ready for Friday. Email givemefive@irishtimes.com with your suggestions for recipes
