Random Tater Pic of the Day #231

What better treat for St. Patrick's Day than Irish Potatoes, right?

Random Tater Pic of the Day #189

Friend and French Fry Diary contributor Robin Renee sent this one along from yesterday's St. Patrick's Day. In her words, "Potatoes and cabbage to celebrate the day. Erin go bragh!"

Thanks, Robin!

French Fry Diary 575: Raglan Road

Usually every trip to Walt Disney World for me includes a journey to Downtown Disney and Cookes of Dublin, which until recent years has had the best French fries, pardon me, Irish chips I have ever had. Lately though, they haven't been so great. Whether it's because of changes in the cooking process or just general laziness in prep, I don't know, but they ain't what they used to be.

As a change of pace, this trip, we decided to try the big fancy sit-down restaurant attached to Cookes of Dublin called Raglan Road this time. It's the same folks doing both places, but rather than a walk-up counter service, this was a nice sit-down place. We had planned on having a whole group of folks with us, friends and family, but one by one, people dropped out for various reasons. I was beginning to wonder if I should change my deodorant.

At first, as it was just myself, The Bride and her mom, we were thinking of just going to Cookes of Dublin as Raglan Road was so much more expensive, and Cookes was easier. Thinking of the folks who couldn't make it, we bit the bullet, and went to Raglan Road for a full meal and experience - and it was an experience. Absent friends and family don't know what they missed. No regrets.

The restaurant is pretty big, like most places in WDW, it's like a TARDIS, bigger on the inside than it looks outside - a large dining area and bar area, with one big stage and a center stage as well. We had heard there were shows, and bands, but we did not think, being so early (it was five-ish) we would see them. We were wrong.

I got my usual, a plain burger, as well as an order of the chips and an order of the onion rings which I had been told I should definitely try. The burger was very good, and came on a weird roll that had strips of ham? Or onion? Baked and threaded through it, very very tasty. As far as the food goes, it needs to be said. They may be next to each other, and they may be the same operation, same management etcetera - but Raglan Road is not Cookes of Dublin. Raglan Road is vastly superior.

As we were beginning to enjoy our meal, the entertainment began. It was as if Riverdance erupted around us, on the large stage in front of us, and a small center stage spot behind us. Propelled by the music of Creel, the tap group known as Our Darlin' Dancers put on an amazing show. So terrific, and later kids from audience were brought up on stage, shown moves, and danced along. Everyone had a great time especially the two little kids who were dancing next to our table.



Back to our meal, especially the French fries and the onion rings, the stuff you're here to read about. Both the rings and the fries (I mean chips) came in proper paper cones, although other tables had them dumped on to plates, which was also kinda cool. The onion rings were fine in the cone, but the fries were kinda wedged in there pretty tightly. The cheese was like a glue holding them together. Note the shape of the pile once we dumped them onto a plate ourselves.

My friend Dom was dead on about the onion rings. They had the same wonderful batter as the Cookes of Dublin onion rings, with big thick and juicy onions, and a very crunchy exterior. To die for, these were fantastic. However the fries were a bit different from the fare at Cookes. These natural cuts were bigger than usual shoestrings, with good amounts of cheese, garlic, and something that always needs a careful measure - just the right amount of truffle oil. Near perfect fries. Raglan Road more than makes up for Cookes of Dublin's recent decline.

Since it was The Bride's birthday, we also got as a dessert the bread pudding that one of our absent friends had recommended. We didn't order it, it came on its own - that's just how Disney rolls. This was a luscious dessert, and the vanilla and caramel cream over it was sweet heaven. What a wonderful birthday gift. Thank you!

There was a lot of food, so we ended up taking some of it back to our happily microwave equipped hotel. The onion rings were a bit soggy the second time around, but based on my experience, I think these would have been awesome if baked when reheated, rather than nuked. I might say the same about the fries, but for the record, they were an inedible disaster in the nuke. Definitely bake leftovers.

Raglan Road is awesome, one of my favorite restaurants in WDW, and it gets my highest marks. Very highly recommended, and I would definitely come back. As a matter of fact, I look forward to it. Raglan Road rocks.

French Fry Diary 549: Tayto Smoky Bacon Crisps

Here's one that comes not from my usual exotic chip getting source, Marni, but from her significant other, Bob. Tayto is a snack company from across the Atlantic Ocean in Northern Ireland, specifically a castle in the Ulster countryside. Check out their website, they have dozens of intriguing flavors.

The flavor I have today is Smoky Bacon. The smoky aroma jumped out as I opened the bag. The flavor of the crisps (their word for chips) was interesting. It made me immediately wonder if Irish bacon was different from American bacon.

The bacon flavor is very strong and overpowering, not that that is a bad thing. It makes you savor the flavor of each crisp, and makes you eat them slower, so as to enjoy them. These are a treasure. I would love to try some of Tayto's other varieties now. Thanks, Bob!

French Fry Diary 483: Authentic Irish Food

Friend and fellow writer Patti O'Brien recently took a trip to Ireland, as chronicled in her terrific travel blog A Broad Abroad.

Despite knowing what I write about here almost every day, she absolutely refused to take any pics of potato products, even though Ireland, as we all know, is all about potatoes and chips.

She talks about the Irish chips, but we don't see them. She does offer up some pictures of the food here, but no chips.

However, if you look very closely at the second image, up in the left hand corner, three fries.  Months in Ireland, dozens of pics of food, many many pubs, and only three fries.  Hmmm...  

All that aside, Patti is a terrific writer, and I urge you to check out her blog here. You can also follow her at Twitter here.

French Fry Diary 473: Bobby's Potato-less Ireland

This Food Network special starring chef Bobby Flay takes a look at both the traditional and the new wave of Irish cuisine. Predictably, Bobby puts the poo-poo on traditional Irish fare. In other words, meat and potatoes are bad.

Darina Allen, one of the most celebrated chefs in Ireland, head and founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School, is one of the forerunners of the new food movement in Ireland. Early in the program, she makes Bobby pick potatoes (for his first time) on the farm that provides food to the school.

The whole farm to table concept is the core of the school. Eventually the potatoes Bobby picked were boiled in salt water and served as is with butter. What no fries, I mean chips? This is Ireland, right?

Next Bobby takes his daughter to the English Market in Cork where they look at blood pudding, smoked salmon, oysters, and artisanal bread. Yep, just about everything you could imagine - except potatoes! Could it be that the new food movement in Ireland is solely because they've run out of potatoes?

His food tour continues with pork from Cork, and a tour of a vegetarian restaurant, Cafe Paradiso, and the farm that supplies it. Guess what? No potatoes there either. They did batter and deep fry flowers (squash blossoms), of all things, but not the one thing you would think the Irish would deep fry.

Moving on to Dublin, with the help of Irish chef and food star Clodagh McKenna, Bobby explores some cafes and pubs trying out 'traditional' Irish foods like porridge, soda bread, sponge cake, and ice cream.

Finally in the last ten minutes of the hour long show, almost as an afterthought, Bobby stopped at a place called Leo Burdock Fish & Chips, because "you just can't leave Dublin without having some fish and chips." Leo's is apparently, based on the signage, Dublin's oldest chipper. I was surprised he didn't go to Cookes, but then again if the original Irish restaurant is slouching as bad as its WDW counterpart, that's a good thing.

For a mere 8.95, Bobby gets a huge cod and a healthy portion of chips. He goes on to say what a big part of Irish cuisine fish and chips are. If that's true, Bobby, why only a fraction of the show about them, eh? Well, if it's any consolation, beer only got a few more seconds airtime than fish and chips.

Boxty!

It's that time of year again, here's a recipe from Chow.com by Christine Gallary:

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake that contains a mixture of mashed and grated potatoes, resulting in a unique texture that’s part pancake, part hash brown. While suitable on an Irish breakfast or supper table, boxty pairs well with so many cuisines. For example, try topping it with smoked salmon and crème fraîche for a fun twist on blini. Game plan: If you only have salted butter in your fridge, it’s fine to substitute it for the unsalted butter called for here.

INGREDIENTS: 2 pounds (3 to 4 large) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, 3/4 cup whole milk, 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt, plus more for seasoning the potatoes before cooking, 1 large egg, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 200°F. Chop half of the potatoes into large dice, place in a medium saucepan, salt generously, and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the potatoes uncovered until fork tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate the remaining potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and place in a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl; set aside.

When the boiled potatoes are ready, drain them, return them to the pot, add 1/4 cup of the milk, and mash until the potatoes are smooth.

With a plastic spatula, press the grated potatoes against the sides and bottom of the strainer to remove any liquid. Add the grated potatoes to the mashed potatoes (no need to stir though).

Place the egg, remaining 1/2 cup milk, flour, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and whisk until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the potatoes and stir until evenly incorporated.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water in it: If the water bounces and sputters, the pan is ready to use; if it evaporates instantly, the pan is too hot.

Once the pan is ready, add enough butter to lightly coat the bottom when melted. Drop 3 dollops (about 1/4 cup each) of the batter into the pan and spread each to about 1/4 inch thick. Cook until the pancake bottoms are golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes more. Place on a baking sheet and set in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter. Serve warm.

French Fry Diary 406: Irish Potato Nachos

I was hipped to this concept by friends Brian and Taryn, who visited Toronto recently and posted on the Facebook about one place they had seen that served them. The idea is basically nachos, but with some variation of potatoes instead of chips - called in some places Irish Potato Nachos. This restaurant, in Toronto, has sadly apparently since closed.

But never fear, most Irish pubs serve some version of this dish. Pictured is the style of Irish Potato Nachos served at The Druid Irish Pub in Edmonton. Hmmm... Edmonton, Toronto, maybe this is a Canadian thing?

French Fry Diary 381: A Battered Tartan

I have been dying to come here to A Battered Tartan since I first heard about it. First, it's quite small, a quaint storefront off the beaten track on Mill Street which is right off Main Street in Moorestown. Four tables and a counter, thats it, but it was enough. Not what I expected at all, the British Chip Shop in Haddonfield, this is not, but it is authentic and heartfelt.

As we ordered the man behind the counter wrote our order down and brought out some fresh cut potatoes, drying them. This told me right there and then he knew what he was doing when it came to the favorite fried food. We watched as he made our order from scratch, battering the cod, wrapping the cheesesteak spring rolls, dropping the chips, etc., all in plain view. Oooh, the magic of cooked to order.

While we sat, The Bride and I perused the menu, so many options and possibilities for a next trip, and we knew there would be a next trip. I got an orange Irn Bru (very sweet) and The Bride got a Diet Coke despite the fair selection of UK soft drinks. There were also Flake bars and Mars bars on the counter as well.

The Bride's cod was very good, as was the tartar sauce, and the batter was perfect. The cheesesteak spring roll was even better. Great start. I love this place. There is some contention on their menu in that "we're British & we don't serve fries," I might argue that. While cooked exquisitely, these were natural cut fries. Very hot, very good, served on brown wax paper, and wonderful with the Heinz Gourmet Malt Vinegar on the counter - but let's be kind, these are chips in name and attitude only. And notably, these were not the regular cuts depicted on their website either.

So much to eat, we took some home, and were even told how to reheat it for later. An excellent and enjoyable experience and meal. Also very very reasonably priced. Highly recommended.

Boxty for St. Patrick's Day

Here's another Boxty recipe, this one is from the Just-Potatoes group, by way of the Dorie's Recipe Box group:

Boxty from Ireland

1/2 pound potatoes, unpeeled
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and grated
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter, or as needed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Scrub the unpeeled potatoes and prick them several times with a fork; place onto a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove, cool, and peel. Mash the potatoes with the buttermilk. Stir in the grated raw potato, flour, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Melt the butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Scoop the potato mixture into the skillet to make 3 inch cakes. Fry until golden and crisp, turning once, about 5 minutes per side.

Guy Fieri's Boxty Cakes

For the Food Network Friday before St. Patrick's Day I have something special for you - Guy Fieri's recipe for Irish Boxty.

For the uninitiated, boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake. The name comes from the old Irish and means poor house bread. Here's Guy Fieri's recipe for it, from the "A Fiery Irish Supper" episode of "Guy's Big Bite"...

Total time 40 min
Prep 20 min
Cook 20 min
Yield: 4 cakes
Level: Easy

Ingredients
• 1 cup peeled, grated raw russet potato
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (3/4-pound) russet potato, peeled and quartered
• 2 cups fresh cauliflower florets

• 3 cups chicken stock, or more as needed
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup canola oil, divided
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
•
Directions
Cover the raw potato with the milk. Add in 1/4 cup chicken stock. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, add the quartered potatoes, cauliflower and enough chicken stock to cover. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, cook until fork tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Strain the potatoes and cauliflower. In a medium bowl, mash the potatoes and cauliflower with the cream cheese.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, spices and baking powder and mix well. Add the mashed cauliflower and potatoes and fold to combine. Add the egg into the raw potato mix, and then fold into the cauliflower and mashed potatoes. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more chicken stock.

Heat a nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons canola oil. When hot, add 1 cup of the mixture and gently spread out in the pan uniformly until you have a large circle (8 to 9-inches in diameter). Cook until the edges begin to brown lightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip over with a thin, flexible spatula and cook 2 minutes on the other side. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.

Fill half with some Double Jack Stew and fold over. Serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of chives.

French Fry Diary 215: Irish Potatoes

For St. Patrick's Day this year I figured I would talk about Irish Potatoes as someone contacted me about a week ago asking if I was going to. I said sure, even though I had no idea what an Irish potato was. I was delighted to find out however.

I was surprised that this candy treat was actually a Philadelphia tradition for the holiday. Coconut cream covered in cinnamon, this treat is simplicity itself, and really doesn't contain potato at all. Notably, it apparently isn't Irish either, although some folks will tell you it commemorates the Irish Potato Famine and shows up in stores around March, just in time for St. Pattie's Day.

While I have been told that Bayard's Chocolates makes the best Irish Potatoes, I managed to track these down at Wegman's. I only took a small bite as I have slight cinnamon allergy, but these are sweet and tasty, and I'm glad I know what these babies are now.

150 Years of Fish and Chips

Good Friday seems as appropriate day as any to post about this one.

The year 2010 is the 150th anniversary of the wonderfulness that is fish and chips. This website, click here, sent to me by friend Terry, contains an amazing 150 fun facts about the UK treat, including:

1 The UK has an estimated 10,500 fish and chip shops.

2 On any Friday, one in five takeaways are from the chippy.

3 They have a third fewer calories than other popular takeaways.

4 A portion contains 30 per cent of a female's recommended daily calorie intake and 23 per cent for a man.

5 Lancastrians claim the first chip shop – John Lees in Mossley, near Oldham in 1863.

6 Cockneys beg to differ, pointing to Joseph Malin's shop set up in Cleveland Street in London's East End in 1860.

7 In 1838 Charles Dickens wrote about fried fish warehouses in Oliver Twist. The warehouses were forerunners to the fish and chip shop.

For the other one hundred and forty-odd facts, check out the article here. Happy anniversary, and happy holidays!

French Fry Diary 50: Cookes of Dublin 2009

When we were planning our latest trip to Disney World, we had to make a stop at Cookes of Dublin in Downtown Disney to get a serving of (so far) the world’s best French fries. I had been there more than a few times before, reviewing it once from my 2005 trip. This return journey was two-fold – getting some more of those fries/chips, and trying those fabulous doh-bars for dessert.

The fries/chips were as good as ever. I’m a traditionalist, so I got the chicken and chips, again – fourth time in a row, although the chicken was not on a stick this time. The Bride was brave and got something different, and dangerous – a battered and deep-fried burger which she pronounced as very good. As I said, she’s braver than me. This time we also tried the ‘doh-bars’ – deep-fried Snickers bars on sticks. OMG. Food of the gods.

Cookes of Dublin remains a must stop destination on any Disney trip, and it’s still the champion of fries/chips.