Food of the Irish

St. Patrick's Day celebrations bring out the Irish in all of us. We wear green, of course, and savor foods identified with Ireland. We might even hum a few Irish tunes whilst drinking a pint of green-tinted beer.

In America the most noted Irish dish is, of course, corned beef and cabbage, but there is much more to Irish cuisine than this favorite dish. Let's not forget fragrant, easy-to-make Irish soda bread, buttered parsley potatoes and Irish stew made with tender nuggets of lamb

Mashed potatoes star in a number of Irish dishes. Some of the best-known are: champ -- potatoes with cooked scallions and chives; boxty -- potato cakes cooked on a griddle; and colcannon, Ireland's best-known traditional dish -- mashed potatoes with such regional additions as kale or cabbage or parsnips.

Through the years poems and songs have celebrated the simple dish, colcannon. The following appears in Darina Allen's lovely tribute to Irish cooking, "The Complete Book of Irish Country Cooking":

"Did you ever eat colcannon

When 'twas made made with yellow cream

And the kale and praties (potatoes) blended

Like a picture in a dream?

Did you ever scoop a hole on top

To hold the melting lake

Of the clover-flavored butter

Which your mother used to make?"

It's easy to cook Irish food at home. And it doesn't have to take a lot of time if you take some shortcuts. Start with fully cooked corned beef brisket or a cooked beef pot roast (look for this in the deli or meat section). Pair with packaged, flavored mashed potatoes or hash browns made from Idaho russets.

Don't forget to serve with warm soda bread. It takes just minutes to prepare the following dishes.

Apricot-Glazed Corned Beef With Colcannon-Style Potatoes is ready in 30 minutes. Heat-and-serve corned beef brisket is heated and glazed in the microwave in just a few minutes. The potato side dish is reminiscent of colcannon, the traditional Irish dish of potatoes and cabbage. This easy shortcut version combines creamy smooth roasted garlic mashed potatoes with packaged coleslaw mix.

Cheesy Potato & Corned Beef Hash gets a jump start in preparation by beginning with convenient packaged hash brown potatoes and coarsely chopped, fully cooked corned beef brisket -- guaranteed as flavorful as if you made them both from scratch. To further streamline, use frozen onions and peppers, and preshredded cheese for scrumptious hash in 20 minutes.

Speedy Skillet Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes starts with a fully cooked pot roast that's simply cut into pieces, then simmered with onion, garlic and frozen mixed vegetables. Stir together step-saving packaged sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, spoon onto the stew, then broil for a crusty topping -- only 30 minutes start to finish.

Speedy Skillet Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes

Total preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes

1 pkg (about 2 lbs) fully cooked boneless beef pot roast with gravy

1 tsp butter or margarine

1 small onion, chopped (1/4 c.)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 c. frozen mixed vegetables

1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/8 tsp pepper

1 box sour cream and chives mashed potatoes

3 c. hot water

1 c. milk

1/4 c. butter or margarine

1. Remove beef pot roast from package; cut beef into 3/4-inch pieces.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon butter in deep ovenproof 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add beef, gravy, mixed vegetables, thyme and pepper to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes.

3. Set oven control to Broil. Make both pouches of potatoes as directed on package using hot water, milk and 1/4 cup butter.

4. Spoon potatoes around edge of skillet. Place skillet under broiler so surface of potatoes is 4 inches from heat. Broil about 5 minutes or until edges of potatoes begin to brown. Makes 6 servings.

Cheesy Potato & Corned Beef Hash

Total preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes

1 pkg hash brown potatoes

4 c. very hot water

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbs butter or margarine

1 1/2 c. frozen onion and bell pepper strips

1/4 tsp pepper

2 c. coarsely chopped fully cooked corned beef brisket (about 12 oz)

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

1. Cover potatoes with very hot water in 2 1/2 quart bowl. Stir in salt. Let stand uncovered 5 to 8 minutes; drain thoroughly.

2. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and bell pepper strips; cook about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until soft.

3. Stir in potatoes; spread firmly and evenly in skillet. Sprinkle with pepper. Cook uncovered without turning or stirring, 3 to 7 minutes or until bottom is brown. Sprinkle with corned beef and cheese; press firmly. Turn with pancake turner. Cook 1 minute longer without stirring. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 servings.

Apricot-Glazed Corned Beef with Colcannon-Style Potatoes

Total preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes

1 pkg (about 1 1/2 lb) fully cooked corned beef brisket

1/4 c. apricot preserves

1 Tbs Dijon-style mustard

Dash ground red pepper

3 Tbs butter or margarine

2 c. packaged coleslaw mix

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 c.)

1 1/2 c. hot water

1/2 c. milk

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 box (1 pouch) roasted garlic mashed potatoes

1. Microwave corned beef brisket according to package directions. Remove corned beef from pouch, discarding liquid; place in microwave-safe dish. Combine preserves, mustard and red pepper; pour over corned beef. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 2 minutes, stopping and spooning glaze over corned beef once.

2. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook coleslaw mix and onion in butter 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in hot water, milk, salt and pepper; heat to boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 pouch potatoes and seasoning until moistened; let stand about 1 minute or until liquid is absorbed. Whip potatoes with fork until smooth.

3. Carve corned beef across the grain into thin slices. Serve with potatoes. Makes 6 servings.

Darina Allen's Soda Bread

4 c. flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 c. buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 450 F.

Sieve the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. Pour most of the milk in at once. Using one hand, stir in a full circle to mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more buttermilk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out on to a floured board and knead lightly for a second, just enough to tidy it up. Pat the dough into a round about 2 inches deep and cut a cross on it to let the fairies out! Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400 F for a further 20 to 30 minutes or until cooked. If in doubt, tap the bread bottom; it should hollow. Makes 1 large loaf.

To make a taller loaf, bake in a 9-inch layer cake pan.

Cool on a wire rack or on the windowsill in the time-honored way.

Recipes provided by Family Features.

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