Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays that I don’t think Americans (me included) understand very well. For us, it’s that one day a year we wear green and drink Guinness. Which is a little ironic, considering that it’s a holiday commemorating the patron saint of Ireland and that it comes in the middle of Lent.

Anyway, I thought I would try my hand at some Irish food to commemorate the day. Now, I’m not Irish and I don’t pretend to be, and to say my recipe is legitimately anywhere close to Irish would be like telling people that Panda Express is good Chinese food. But I did manage to whip up something that remotely resembles it and it does taste quite good.

Now onto the recipe

You’ll need

• a frying pan
• spatula or other stirring implement
• a pot
• cutting board
• knife
• potato masher

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 1/2 lb potatoes ( I used red Idaho potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon creme fraiche/ sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 1 carrot ( cut into bite sized pieces)
• 1/2 red onion ( sliced)
• 1 cup peas
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Fill pot with water and place in potatoes. Bring water to a boil and drain potatoes when fork tender.
2. Meanwhile, put the canola oil in the pan and turn it up to medium heat. Add onion, carrots and peas and cook until tender
3. Remove vegetables from pan and replace with ground beef. Cook until browned. Remove beef and place to the side
4. Add flour to the leftover drippings and stir until it becomes a paste ( this is called a roux)
5. Add beef stock
6. Add back the beef and vegetables and heat on medium
7. When the potatoes are done, mash them well and add butter and creme fraiche/ sour cream
8. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve