Irish Arancini

As far as I'm concerned, St. Patrick's Day is not supposed to be a holiday based around healthy foods and watching your calorie intake. But then again, what holiday is? When I think of St. Patrick's Day, or Irish food in general, the first things that comes to mind are the obvious corned beef and cabbage, beef stew, soda bread, Irish cheddar cheese (can't forget that!) and Guinness.  None of which are entirely healthy.  So why change things up now?

Let's take some buttery mashed potatoes and wrap them around a bit of Sweet Italian Pork sausage and a small cube of Irish cheddar cheese and then roll the whole mess into a ball before dusting it with flour, brushing it with egg wash and dredging it through breadcrumbs.  Then, because that might not be enough, let's deep fry it all up in some olive oil.  Wait until it cools, just a bit, and then take a bite and enjoy. Washing it down with a Guinness, of course.

Inspired from the Irish dish "Bangers and Mash" and one of my favorite Italian treats, the Arancini, the original plan was to bake these in the oven just before serving but I was afraid that the slow heat of the oven would make the mashed potatoes become too soft and not maintain their shape.  Afraid of being stuck with a gooey mess of mashed potato, cheese, sausage and breadcrumbs, out came the olive oil for some deep fat frying.  

Like its Italian cousin, when you bite into the Irish Arancini, cheese rushes out and then you get a bite of Sweet Italian Sausage and creamy mashed potatoes flavored with just a hint of Dijon mustard, just to boost the flavor up a bit and give it a smooth tang.  The breadcrumbs add texture to the Arancicni and protect the potatoes from getting too soft.  I made these a day in advance and the plan is to take them to today's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Southie where I'll give them a quick bake, just to toast them back up before putting them out for people to enjoy.

Check out the recipe after the jump!

A Surprisingly Delicious Lunch At The Lansdowne Pub

If you were to ask me to list my top 5, heck, top 3 favorite spots in Boston, Fenway would definitely show up on that list (and it would probably even rank a little higher in the summer).  It's funny though, I usually don't target this area for a eating destination unless some sort of sporting event is involved and I am just realizing now what a big mistake that is.  Fenway needs a second glance.  I recently dined at the Lansdowne Pub (http://www.lansdownepubboston.com/flash/) and ya know what?  It was kinda good!  Being a Boston girl, I do love a good Irish bar and the fact that you have a nice little view of Fenway doesn't hurt either.  It's got that standard Irish bar feel to it.  Kind of dark and rustic looking but filled with loud laughter.  It's a nice alternative to standard game fare.

The menu itself is pretty typical a pretty straightforward for a Irish restaurant.  Hearty stews, pot pies, lamb, bangers and mash, etc.  But what really caught my eye was the Ploughman's Lunch, which featured a mess of tangly mixed greens, fresh salted roma tomato and cucumber slices, two triangles of brown Irish bread, a healthy portion of sliced roast beef and turkey, two triangles of Irish Cheddar Cheese (Whew, that was a lot!).  It was all rustically served on a wooden cutting board and accompanied by a tomato chutney and oddly addicting pickled vegetable spread.  It reminded me of an Irish Antipasto of sorts.

The meal itself was so fun!  I love when I can play with my food and try different bits of this with different pieces of that.  It was kinda like having my own little deli shop, right in front of me.  And I was in heaven and I'll admit, even a little surprised at the freshness and quality of the meal.  The veggies were crisp and fresh and the meats were legit.  No slimy over processed cheap-o deli meats here!  And all of this cost a mere $13!  It really was the perfect dinner.  I left feeling full, but a comfortable full.  I also vowed to come back in the winter time to sample out some of their heartier dishes.  Although, it will be hard not to get that Ploughman's Lunch again.  Man, that hit the spot!

My Two Cents on McGreevy's

I want to like it, really I do.  Steeped in Red Sox Nation history with numerous Red Sox paraphernalia adorning the walls and co-owned by Dropkick Murphy's front man, Ken Casey (Red Sox Nation royalty) this is just the sort of place that is usually right up my alley.  But it's not.  Why?  The food is pretty lackluster and the service is not so good.  Pardon the pun, but that's two strikes.  That being said, I would recommend this place if you are looking to grab a beer before a game.  It's fun to be sitting amongst some serious Boston history and sipping a pint while you tap your feet to "Tessie".  But unless you're looking for mediocre eats, I would end your time there.

Feeling like burger to compliment my beer, I ordered a Turkey Burger with Cheddar and sweet potato fries.  The friend that I was with had a cheeseburger as well.  The odd thing was, that right after we put in our food orders, her meal came right out without any explanation, nor apology.  Now anytime you are eating with someone and someone's food comes out first, it put everyone in awkward position.  Someone's always waiting and it throws off the entire harmony of eating out.  After I encouraged my friend to eat and not wait for me to get my meal, she was just about finished up by the time I got mine (and she didn't eat very fast..).  My burger was placed in front of me with no explanation.  Our waitress simply whisked away my friends plate and then my friend was left to watch me eat.  Aside from the poor timing of meals, the food itself had no character to it and nothing special about it.  The fries were cold, the turkey patty was so overly salted I couldn't taste much else.

It is such a shame that such a cool place serves up such unimpressive fare.  

Deliciously Easy Guinness Stew

I remember the first time I had Guinness Stew.  I was at an Irish bar in Northern Virginia with my cousin and I immediately fell in love with it.  I took every opportunity I could get to go back to this bar to get it.  The Guinness tenderized the meat so much that it was falling apart while bursting with flavor, all at the same time.  And the best part of it all was that this thick and rich stew was then served atop of creamy mashed potatoes.  It was unreal.  When I moved back to Massachusetts and into Boston, I assumed that Guinness Stew would be available on every street corner and was saddened to learn that it was relatively hard to find.  I hadn't tackled my own creation because I just didn't think that my creation could compare to that very first bowl I had.

And then today happened.

After yesterday's kitchen calamity,  I found my self staring down that giant bottle of Guinness with one eyebrow raised, ready to accept the challenge.   In response, that tough bottle was just glaring back at me, mocking me and daring me to attempt another creation.  There was one of those Western showdown songs dramatically playing in the background (or at least that's how I remember it).  Letting my pride get the better of me, I wanted to show that bottle of Guinness a thing or two and pledged to spend the afternoon creating the perfect Guinness Stew.  And I can confidently say, as I sit here with a delicious steaming bowl of tender beef in a gravy-like pool of caramely Stout, I have whipped that bottle into submission and came up with some killer results.  And the best part of it all?  It was so easy to make.  To simplify it even more you can do some prep work the night before, throw it all into a crock pot and come home to a delicious diner that's just waiting for you.  Fair warning, if you do make your own batch of Guinness Stew, you will never forget it.  You might even say that its good enough to make your "Irish eyes smile" or something like that.  Not necessarily Irish?  That's okay.  I'm not really either.

Fancy A Pint at Matt Murphy's?

Believe it or not, I sometimes find it hard to find an honest to goodness Irish bar in Boston.  Sure, there are a mess of Irish bars in Faneuil Hall and I'll admit that my inner geek gets really excited about the history behind some of those old bars.  I mean, Paul Revere's famous ride through the city of Boston war was practically planned out over a couple of beers at the Green Dragon.  But now these historically respectful places are littered with overly drunken masses.  As I am now firmly in my late 20's, I feel that I've graduated from these Irish bars of old and have been looking for a more "grown-up" Irish bar to enjoy a frosty pint.  Enter Matt Murphy's Pub on Harvard Street in Brookline Village.

You literally feel like you stepped out of Boston and somehow ended up in Ireland.  The staff are all Irish too, which provides an even more authentic experience.  At this always crowded hot spot, one can sit and enjoy a pint or specialty cocktail from an impressive list of beers and spirits.  This place is perfectly intimate, with small tables lining dimly lit walls and the center of it all, a giant bar.  Towards the back, you can see the kitchen whipping up traditional Irish fare such as fish and chips (authentically presented in a package of newspaper) along with some other creative concoctions like pulled pork with a balsamic glaze.  After a tough decision, I opted for the Irish Grilled cheese sandwich that was served with a balsamic mustard, tomatoes and caramelized onions.  Served with a heaping serving of hand cut french fries and homemade ketchup (that was on the sweet side with hints of curry), this sandwich was perfect for a chilly Boston evening.  My only complaint is that the onions in my sandwich were not caramelized as advertised and that was a huge bummer.  I'm not particularly a fan of raw onions but caramelized onions are a completely different story.  To me, the two aren't even the same thing and I was surprised to find such a seemingly top-notch place miss a beat like that.  That certainly wouldn't deter me from going there again but I probably wouldn't get that again.

Overall, I love this place and can't wait to go back and try something different on their menu.  I really liked the atmosphere.  It's the type of place that makes you feel as if at any moment, the entire dining room is going to burst out in Irish folk song while swaying their pints, leaving you sitting there grinning, just happy to be a part of it.