Potato Puffs

Use Old Potatoes
1.  Combine potatoes, cheese, onion, parsley and pepper in a large bowl.  Add sufficient milk to give a fluffy consistency, add egg yolks, ground nutmeg, ground pepper and flour.  Mix well.
2.  Heat oil in a deep, heavy-based pan until moderately hot.  Beat egg whites to form stiff peaks, fold through potato mixture.
3.  Cook tablespoons of the mixture (no more than five at a time) until golden and crisp.
4.  Remove puffs with slotted spoon, drain will on absorbent paper and keep warm.  Repeat until mixture is used.  Serve garnished with chopped parsley.
HINT:  This recipe forms part of a breakfast dish, traditionally served with bacon.  Potato Puffs can be made into potato cakes by cooking in butter in a flat pan.

Leeks in Cream Sauce
1.  Preheat oven to 400°F  Trim the leeks, remove aged leaves and split into four, wash well.  Tie into bundles, lower into pan of boiling water.  Cook for 10-20 minutes, with lemon rind and bay leaves, until the leeks are tender.  Drain, reserving liquid.
2.  Melt butter in a pan, add flour, cook stirring 1 minute.  Add 1 cup of reserved liquid, stir to blend.  Cook over medium heat, stirring all the time, until mixture boils and thickens.
3.  Remove from heat, season with pepper and nutmeg.  Stir cream through sauce.  Arrange leeks in a shallow ovenproof dish.  Pour sauce over leeks.
4.  Melt extra butter in a pan until foaming, toss the bread crumbs through, sprinkle them over cream sauce.  Bake for 15 minutes to brown crumbs.  Remove string from leeks.  Serve immediately.
NOTE:  Leeks are used in many Irish dishes. Always wash them well before using as soil is often trapped between the leaves.

Colcannon
Very Traditional
1.  Cut potatoes into quarters and boil for 15 minutes or until tender.  Drain, mash with a fork until dry and mealy.
2.  Cook cabbage in boiling water for 10 minutes, remove from pan with tongs, drain well.  Melt butter in a large pan, add cabbage and stir in green onions, cook for 1 minute.
3.  Combine cabbage mixture with mashed potatoes.  Add enough warm milk to give a creamy consistency.  Season with pepper and serve, garnished with chopped parsley.  Drizzle over extra melted butter for a richer dish.

Irish Mist Cream

Rich, sweet and creamy.
1.  Bring milk to boil, whisk with egg yolks and 2 tablespoons sugar.  Pour back into pan, cook over a low heat for 7 minutes - do not boil.
2.  Dissolve the gelatin in boiling water, add to hot milk mixture, stir well.  Pour in Irish Mist, refrigerate for about 40 minutes or until mixture begins to set.
3.  Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, sprinkle remaining sugar through and beat until it dissolves.  When milk and egg mixture starts to set, fold through 1/2 cup whipping cream and beaten egg whites.  Pour into eight glass serving dishes and refrigerate until set.
4.  Decorate with whipped cream, nuts and chocolate.
HINT:  This dessert is best prepared the day before it is served.

Guinness Pudding 
with Whiskey Sauce
1.  Place golden raisins, raisins, currants, orange rind and juice, Guinness and whiskey in a bowl, cover and leave to stand overnight..
2.  Grease a six-cup capacity pudding basin or steamer (or two small ones) with melted butter.  Fold bread crumbs through fruit mixture and leave stand 5 minutes.  Stir in eggs, then sifted flour, ground cinnamon and baking powder.
3.  Spoon into prepared pudding steamer, lower into boiling water and steam 2 hours.  Leave to stand 15 minutes before turning out of steamer.
4.  To prepare sauce:  Place butter, sugar and golden syrup in a heavy-based pan, stir until sugar dissolves, cook 1 minute, add whiskey.  Stir through cream and remove from heat.  Pour sauce over hot pudding.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.