Ireland #10 & #11

Though many people associate corned beef and cabbage with Ireland, it’s not a traditional dish. Many Irish were too poor to afford corned beef, and simply ate bacon and cabbage. Tonight’s dinner is from The Irish Spirit, and is a spin off that classic recipe. The recipe says to serve it with boiled new potatoes, but I saw a recipe for buttermilk mashed potatoes, and thought those sounded great too.

Chicken with Bacon, Cabbage and Cider, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Chicken with Bacon, Cabbage and Cider:

4 chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

6 slices bacon, chopped

2 onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 chicken stock

3/4 cup cider

2 cups savoy cabbage, shredded

I made mine a little differently that the directions to keep my bacon crisp.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high, add bacon, cook until crisp. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Turn heat down to medium, pour out grease, add chicken, season with salt and pepper. Cook 7-8 minutes per side, remove and put on a plate, cover with foil.

Add onions and garlic to pot, saute for 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage, cider and stock, cover and cook for 8 minues or until cabbage is wilted a bit.

Plate cabbage, top with chicken and sprinkle with bacon.

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes:

3 lbs. baking potatoes, peeled and diced

1 stick Kerryogld Irish butter

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup half and half

1/2 tsp. thyme

3 tbsp. chives

salt and pepper

Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling water for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain, return to the pot and add all other ingredients, mash until smooth.

Recipes taken from:

The Irish Spirit, Margaret M. Johnson. Chronicle Books, San Francisco: 2006.