GARY’S WAY TWICE BAKED POTATOES WITH SCALLION, HORSERADISH, LEMON & DILL SOUR CREAM
It seems a shame to do anything with new season potatoes other than to smother them in Irish butter, a sprinkle of rock salt and some freshly chopped parsley. But potatoes in their jackets with a spoon of butter and herbs does not a recipe make. I've great (and awful) memories of spud gathering season in Donegal. All hands in my grandfather Duncan's field, waiting on my auld boy to bust the drills open with the tractor.
The wee Massey 135 with the potato spinner on the back was flat to the mat. The auld boy was the eldest, and the lucky, or lazy, one who got the easy job. He was the biggest and hardest too, so no one bothered to ask if they could take a turn. “Head down, arse up” was all you got, and “keep gathering, sir”. As we say in Donegal, “It was tight going, sir”. Great days though. The craic was unreal. My auld boy is a spud connoisseur and judges every man on his ability to cook a spud. He’d have wanted them the aforementioned way, but give this recipe a wee rattle. Something a tad more adventurous.
VANESSA’S WAY BABY NEW POTATO, SMOKED TROUT, BROAD BEAN & EGG SALAD
Seasonal vegetables such as new potatoes, teamed with artisan ingredients, are featuring on menus in all the best eateries across Ireland. I am fortunate to visit many artisan producers, infact I’m a bit of a food tourist wherever I go, able to spend far too long in speciality food shops, farmer’s markets and even primary school cake sales. I have visited Goatsbridge Trout Farm in Kilkenny many times with our students, and like many other small artisan producers, Mag and Ger Kirwan, the couple who run, it open their doors regularly to visitors. For a minimal fee, you can sample their sublime trout products, including trout caviar. This salad can be served warm or cold, as a starter or lunch plate, for buffets, picnics or even in your office lunch box.
