Instead Irish Bacon! Arguably, there's nothing more that Americans like better than bacon. Even more arguably, St. Patrick's Day ranks right up there with Americans' favorite holidays. As a result, we at Tonia's Kitchen just had to get these two kids together! For this one, Tonia reached out across the pond to Darina Allen of the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shannon County Cork, Ireland! She tells Tonia about some fantastic bacon and mashed potato dishes that really bring a piece of the old country right here to the new world! To find out more, visit Ballymaloe's website.- 4 pounds Irish boiling bacon
- 1 Savoy cabbage, trimmed, quartered, and cored
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Boiled Yukon gold potatoes, for serving
- Place bacon in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. If bacon is very salty, a white froth will form on surface of water. In this case, discard water and start again. Repeat process until no froth forms on surface of water; drain.
- Cover bacon with hot water. Cover pot and simmer until almost cooked through, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, slice cabbage across the grain into thin shreds; rinse with cold water if necessary. Add the cabbage to pot with bacon and continue cooking 20 minutes more.
- Remove bacon from pot; strain cabbage and transfer to a large bowl or serving platter. Add butter and season with pepper; toss to combine. Serve bacon and cabbage with parsley sauce and potatoes.
