Recipe for Irish Potatoes

As most of my ancestors traced their lineage to Ireland, I will offer an Irish potato dish that you can easily make and that will delight your guests. The finished product is crispy brown on the bottom and pleasingly soft in the center.

Maggie Quick, a Middle Grade Novel by Robert T. Rhode and Eleanor Y. Stewart

While much has been written about the contributions made by the waves of Irish immigrants that came to cities in the United States in the nineteenth century, little has been recorded about the influence of Irish culture on small towns in the heartland. To compensate for this neglect, Eleanor Y. Stewart and I offer for middle grade readers a novel that focuses on Irish beliefs, customs, and folklore in a village in the Midwest. Entitled Maggie Quick, our novel recently received a glowing review from Kid Lit Reviews, arguably the best website for accurate information about books for kids. Maggie Quick is available in hardcover and as an eBook. Eleanor and I are ideally suited to co-author a book like Maggie Quick as we are the descendants of Irish immigrants to American towns.

  

My Millikin Ancestors (Jen Seated at Left)

Before I turn to the recipe for Irish potatoes, I want to share a story about my great grandmother Jen Millikin and her husband, William Curtis Rhode. When it came to their children’s talents, William was as quiet as Jen was talkative. At a family reunion, Jen was addressing the crowd about the recent achievements of her sons and daughter. To her credit, her narrative was accurate and not exaggerated. Even so, quite suddenly, out of the blue, William said, “Let somebody else tell it, Jen.” There was an initial silence as the surprised listeners began to realize that the taciturn William had actually said something! The family tradition is that the gathering ultimately burst into laughter. With a sense of humor no one could rival, Jen laughed along with the rest. Since that day, people in my family have urged one another to “let somebody else tell it” if anybody has temporarily forgotten to remain humble. You can take away from this cautionary tale the suggestion to avoid boasting about how delicious your potatoes are!

Ingredients

4 cups baking potatoes

1 medium onion grated

5 or 6 Tbsp unsalted butter

½ cup double-acting baking powder

¼ cup cornstarch

Sprinkling of salt

Sprinkling of pepper

Directions

A large, heavy skillet is a must!

Peel enough big baking potatoes to form approximately four cups. Using a mandolin, slice the potatoes fairly thin. Dry the slices with towels. Melt the butter in the skillet then turn off the heat until you are ready to cook the potatoes.

Prepare a dredging surface, such as a cutting board or large cookie sheet. Mix the baking powder, the cornstarch, the salt, and the pepper. Dredge both sides of each slice of potato. The coating should cover the slice but not be so thick as to leave a noticeably powdery layer when the potatoes are cooked and consumed. Carefully place the slices in overlapping concentric circles covering the bottom of the skillet. When one layer is finished, sprinkle grated onion lightly over the layer, then build up to three additional layers with a small amount of grated onion in between until all the potato slices have been used.

Now slowly turn up the heat and begin to fry the potatoes. Keep checking underneath to see how brown the layer that is in contact with the skillet is becoming. When the potatoes are done and the bottom is a rich brown, quickly turn the potatoes upside down onto a plate. You can serve the attractive potatoes with a sprig of parsley at the dinner table.