Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

And in Irish it's Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh
(La ale-lah pwad-rig son-ah jeev.

In celebration of one my favorite days, I thought I'd share a few of my Grandmother's favorite Irish recipes. Today, St. Patrick's Day, was also her birthday, so it was a day doubly celebrated in our house.

My Grandmother was also a wonderful cook. She loved being in the kitchen. My Grandfather was Hungarian, so many of her specialties were Hungarian, but these are a few of her wonderful Irish favorites - Potatoes Kay, Irish Soda Bread, and an after St. Patrick's Day tip.

Potatoes Kay
Ingredients:
1 pound of washed, peeled, and thinly sliced potatoes
1/2 stick of butter (4 tbs), melted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 small bunch of green onions (scallions), minced

Spread out the potatoe slices and pat them with paper towels to make sure they are thoroughly dried. In a 8 x 8 baking dish (or which ever size you prefer), put a layer of the potatoes. Sprinkle with some of the melted butter, salt & pepper. Place another layer of potatoes, overlapping the first, and sprinkle with butter, salt and pepper again. Continue making layers until all the potatoes are used

Bake at 350 degrees until well browned on all sides. Turn out onto a hot platter. Layer sour cream over the top, like your icing a cake, and sprinkle with green onions.

Variations include sprinkling shredded cheddar cheese in between layers and then sprinkling crumbled bacon on the top.

Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp caraway seeds (more or less if you like)
1/2 cup raisins

Hand mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, added in the order above, using a wooden spoon. (I use a silicon spatula). When stiff, turn onto a board and knead until smooth. Place into a round cake pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Great fresh from the oven with some home made jam - or even plain!

One last tip....

Now, my Grandmother, in her later years, lived about 3 blocks from a fine, upstanding Irish establishment called Murphy's. As crowded as it would be on St. Patrick's Day, she would walk in and announce, "My name is Katherine Bridget Dalton and today is my birthday!" She'd always get a seat and she wouldn't pay for a drink all night.

The next morning, would come all to early, and with all the difficulty you would expect. To help rid her of the hangover, she always had a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Within an hour, she'd be back to her regular, jovial self.

Have a wonderful, blessed, fun filled - and safe - St. Patrick's Day.