Cooking Christmas dinner for the first time? Watch Darina Allen's step-by-step guide to all the trimmings
Darina Allen in her kitchen at Ballymaloe. Picture Dan Linehan
What a rollercoaster it’s been for the past few weeks: hopes raised, hopes dashed, then raised again. I eventually decided to carry on regardless, and respond to readers' requests for recipes for the traditional Christmas feast that so many happy memories are made of. This year, of all years, we are nostalgic for the past and crave a comforting family Christmas.
Hopefully, your nearest and dearest will be gathered around you, and our hearts go out to those who have also lost loved ones during this extraordinarily challenging year.
Here are all the favourite Christmas recipes you requested. A fine roast turkey or goose with all the trimmings, lots of gravy, roasties, brussels sprouts and our house recipe for creamed celery.
That last one sounds so old-fashioned, there’s a ring of the Grand Hotel about it — but it's so good with the roast turkey particularly as it can, of course, be cooked several days ahead.
Keep it covered in the fridge or pop into the freezer, and just reheat.
Christmas is definitely a ton of work, particularly for those who don’t normally spend much time in the kitchen.
So let’s make a plan so it’s easier and less stressful. I’m like a broken record about making lists. Lots of them are the way to go: allocate some fun roles to as many family as you can cajole or shame into helping. But steady on —we often overestimate the amount of food we need.
If there are just two or four people, ask yourself if you really need a turkey. How about a beautiful organic chicken or a fat free-range duck? You can use the same stuffing as for the turkey or goose.
If it’s just the two of you, you may want to choose a beautiful organic chicken from Mary Regan in Enniscorthy or maybe try this delicious turkey crown marinated in buttermilk — it’s juicy, tender and delicious.
Half the crown will be plenty for your Christmas feast and you’ll still have lots to enjoy in your favourite turkey sandwich on Christmas evening. Could be just roasted but marinating in buttermilk is a revelation.
For me, a well-hung pheasant with game chips (homemade potato chips) is another of my favourite feasts. Bread sauce and cranberry sauce are the traditional accompaniments and the buttery herb stuffing is perfect here too.
If like me, brown meat is your favourite, why not roast the turkey thighs? The drumsticks are quite sinewy in a bird that has been allowed to range freely but the flavour will be far superior to an intensively produced bird, reared in confinement. Internal temperature of legs or thighs will be 165°C (breast 105°C) when cooked, and allow to rest 10 – 15 minutes before serving.
But here’s the ‘pièce de résistance’ I promised in last week's column: All-in-One Christmas Dinner on a Dish.
This recipe dates back to the time when the United Hunt held its annual Hunt Ball in Ballymaloe before Christmas every year. They wanted the ‘whole works’ so my mother-in-law, Myrtle devised this delicious version which we prepared ahead and reheated for the large gathering.
It became such a favourite that it was requested every year.
It’s definitely a bit of a mission to make and you’ll need to cook the turkey and ham separately.
Meanwhile, make a creamy mushroom filling with lots of fresh herbs and then a creamy sauce to coat the lot.
The end result is an unctuous 'Turkey and Ham Sandwich' that reheats deliciously in 10-15 minutes on the day.
Whenever you decide to choose, I wish you a happy, joyful and meaningful Christmas and so hope that you will be able to connect with your loved ones over the festive season, either in person or by Zoom.
Good times will come again… We’ll just keep cooking and carry on! A special thank you to all our readers and happy, happy Christmas.
More than ever this year in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, we all long for the comfort of familiar flavours. This is my favourite roast stuffed turkey recipe.
You may think the stuffing seems dull because it doesn’t include exotic-sounding ingredients like chestnuts and spiced sausage meat, but, in fact, it is moist and full of the flavour from the fresh herbs and the turkey juices.
Cook a chicken in exactly the same way but use one-quarter of the stuffing quantity given. However, my top tip is to brine the turkey ahead — it greatly enhances the flavour, and reduces the overall cooking time.
Serves 10-12
Requires 1 x 10-12lb (4.5-5.4kg), free-range and organic, turkey, with neck and giblets
- 175g (6oz/3/4 stick) butter
- 350g (12oz) chopped onions
- 400-500g (14-16oz) approx. soft white breadcrumbs (or approximately 1lb 4oz of gluten-free breadcrumbs)
- 50g (2oz) freshly chopped herbs eg. parsley, thyme, chives, annual marjoram, lemon balm
- salt and freshly-ground pepper
- Turkey giblet, neck, gizzard, heart, wishbone and wingtips of turkey
- 2 sliced carrots
- 2 sliced onions
- 1 stick celery
- Bouquet garni
- 3 or 4 peppercorns
- 225g (8oz/2 sticks) butter
- large square of muslin (optional)
- Darina’s Cranberry Sauce (see recipe below)
- Traditional Bread Sauce (see recipe below)
Requires large sprigs of fresh parsley or watercress
- Remove the wishbone from the neck end of the turkey, for ease of carving later.
- Make a turkey stock by covering with cold water the neck, gizzard, heart, wishbone, wingtips, vegetables and bouquet garni. (Keep the liver for smooth turkey liver pate).
- Bring to the boil and simmer while the turkey is being prepared and cooked, 3 hours approx.
Sweat the onions gently in the butter until soft, for 10 minutes approx., then stir in the crumbs, herbs and a little salt and pepper to taste. Allow it to get quite cold.
If necessary wash and dry the cavity of the bird, then season and half-fill with cold stuffing. Put the remainder of the stuffing into the crop at the neck end.
Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time: Allow 15 minutes approx. per lb and 15 minutes over.
Melt the butter and soak a large piece of good quality muslin in the melted butter; cover the turkey completely with the muslin and roast in a preheated moderate oven, 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4, for 2 3/4-3 1/4 hours depending on the weight and whether the turkey has been brined. Brined turkey cook considerably faster — be careful not to overcook. There is no need to baste it because of the butter-soaked muslin.
The turkey browns beautifully, but if you like it even browner, remove the muslin 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Alternatively, smear the breast, legs and crop well with soft butter, and season with salt and freshly-ground pepper. If the turkey is not covered with butter-soaked muslin then it is a good idea to cover the whole dish with dampened parchment paper. However, your turkey will then be semi-steamed, and not roasted in the traditional sense of the word.
The turkey is cooked when the juices run clear.
prick the thickest part at the base of the thigh and examine the juices: they should be clear. Remove the turkey to a carving dish, keep it warm and allow it to rest while you make the gravy.
:
- Spoon off the surplus fat from the roasting pan.
- De-glaze the pan juices with fat-free stock from the giblets and bones. Using a whisk, stir and scrape well to dissolve the caramelised meat juices from the roasting pan.
- Boil it up well, season and thicken with a little roux if you like. Taste and correct the seasoning. Serve in a hot gravy boat.
If possible, present the turkey on your largest serving dish, surrounded by crispy roast potatoes, and garnished with large sprigs of parsley or watercress and maybe a sprig of holly. Make sure no one eats the berries.
Cranberry Sauce is also delicious served with roast turkey, game and some rough pâtés and terrines. We enjoy this simple Cranberry Sauce best. It will keep in your fridge for several weeks. It is also great with white chocolate mousse or as a filling for a meringue roulade. Add a spoonful of port and quarter teaspoon of finely grated orange zest for a change — but I love the clean taste of the original.
Serves 6 approximately
- 175g (6oz) fresh or frozen cranberries
- 4 tablespoons (60ml/scant 2 1/2fl oz) water
- 75g (3oz) granulated sugar
Put the fresh cranberries in a heavy-based stainless steel or cast-iron saucepan with the water. Don’t add the sugar yet as it tends to toughen the skins. Bring them to the boil, cover and simmer until the cranberries pop and soften, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until dissolved.
Serve warm or cold.
Note: Fresh cranberries keep for weeks on end but also freeze perfectly.
Note: It should be soft and juicy, add a little warm water if it has accidently overcooked.
I love Bread Sauce but if I hadn't been reared on it I might never have tried it — the recipe sounds so dull! Serve with roast chicken, turkey and guinea fowl.
- 600ml (1 pint) whole milk
- 75-110g (3 - 4oz) soft white breadcrumbs (see recipe)
- 2 medium onions, each stuck with 6 cloves
- 35 - 50g butter
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 75-110ml (3-4 fl oz) thick cream
- 2 good pinches of ground cloves or quatre epices
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Bring to the boil in a small, deep saucepan all the ingredients except the cream. Season with salt and freshly-ground pepper. Transfer to the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the onion and add the cream just before serving. Taste, correct the seasoning and add a little more milk if the sauce is too thick. Serve hot.
Bread sauce will keep in the fridge for several days and can be reheated, add a little extra cream or milk if it’s too thick.
The bread sauce will keep in the fridge for several days — the remainder can be reheated gently — you may need to use a little more milk.
is a French spice product made of equal amounts of ground white pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.
Brining greatly enhances the flavour of chicken, duck or pork. We brine whole turkeys (48 hours), chickens and ducks (5-6 hours), chicken breast (30-40 minutes depending on size).
Soak the bird or joint in a brine mixture of salt and water. The electrically-charged ions of the salt plump up the muscle fibres, allowing them to absorb water. This changes the structure of the proteins, preventing the water from escaping during cooking. In addition to keeping the meat moist, the salt intensifies flavour.
, mix together 40fl oz (2 pints/5 cups) water and 3 3/4oz (105g/1/4 cup) salt in a suitable size container with a cover (stainless steel, plastic or enamel are ideal). A little sugar may be added to the brine, and even a few spices. Add the bird or joint, cover and chill in a refrigerator or keep in a cool place and brine for chosen time.
I know this sounds a bit old hat, but of all of the glazes that I do, this is the one that I keep coming back to. Or you could just use marmalade.
You’ll know when the ham is cooked when the rind comes off the fat easily. I like to buy my ham with the bone in but order a boned ham if carving becomes a challenge. Don’t forget how delicious a piece of glazed streaky bacon can be and at a fraction of the price.
- 1 x 4.5kg (10lb) fresh or lightly smoked ham (ensure it has a nice layer of sweet fat)
- 30 or more whole cloves, depending on the size of the diamonds
- 350g (12oz/1 1/2 cups) brown Demerara sugar
- a couple of tablespoons of pineapple juice from a small tin of pineapple
If the ham is salty, soak it in cold water overnight and discard the water the next day. Cover the ham with fresh, cold water and bring it slowly to the boil. If the meat is still salty, there will be a white froth on top of the water. In this case, it is preferable to discard this water, cover the ham with fresh cold water again and repeat the process.
Finally, cover the ham with hot water, put the lid on the saucepan and simmer until it is almost cooked.
When the ham is fully cooked the rind will peel off easily and the small bone at the base of the leg will feel loose.
preheat the oven to 250ºC/ 500ºF/gas mark 9.
While still warm, peel the rind from the cooked ham, score the fat into a diamond pattern and stud each diamond with a whole clove. Blend the brown sugar to a paste with a little pineapple juice. Be careful not to make it too liquid. Transfer the ham to a roasting tin just large enough to take the joint.
Spread the thick glaze over the entire surface of the ham, but not underneath. Bake it in a very hot oven for 20 minutes or until it has caramelised. While it is glazing, baste the ham regularly with the syrup and juices.
Then toss the pineapple slices in the glaze and arrange on top for extra glam.
Serve hot or cold with Cumberland sauce.
Both of these cuts are delicious glazed as above. The latter is inexpensive yet sweet and succulent. Boiled collar of bacon is also delicious.
Mix together 225ml (8fl oz/1 cup) of apricot jam, 225g (8oz/1 cup) of sifted golden caster sugar, 3 tablespoons (scant 4 American tablespoons) of whole grain mustard with honey and the juice of 1 orange. Spoon the glaze over the ham and cook as above, basting at regular intervals
- 5 tablespoons (6 American tablespoons) brown sugar
- 1 dessertspoon (2 American teaspoons) mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- grated zest of half an organic orange
- 20ml (3/4fl oz/scant 1/8 cup) orange juice
Mix together the brown sugar, mustard powder, grated ginger with the zest and juice of the orange. Spoon the glaze over the ham and cook as above, basting at regular intervals
- 1 half turkey crown (breast) about 2 ½ lbs (1.1kg)
- 500ml (16 fl oz) buttermilk
- 1 ½ tbsp (33g) salt
24-48 hours before you plan to enjoy the turkey, pour the salted buttermilk into a large heavy resealable plastic bag. Put the turkey breast inside, seal carefully, expelling as much air as possible. Squish the bag a little to make sure the turkey is well covered with the buttermilk. Pop it into the fridge in a gratin dish for 24-36 hours, turning occasionally.
Remove the turkey about 2 hours before cooking, lay on a wire rack over a roasting tray to drain off the excess buttermilk.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Lay the rack on a baking sheet, roast until the turkey breast is fully cooked through, 40 minutes approximately for a boneless breast. It will register 150°C on a meat thermometer. Keep an eye and cover with parchment if it is browning too much.
Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with your favourite traditional or non-traditional accompaniments.
A big roasting tin of crusty roast potatoes always invokes a positive response. Everyone loves them. They are easy to achieve but I still get asked over and over for the secret of crunchy golden roasties. So here are my top tips:
- Grow or seek out good-quality dry, floury potatoes such as Golden Wonders or Kerr’s Pinks. New potatoes do not produce good roast potatoes.
- For best results, peel the potatoes just before roasting. Resist the temptation to soak them in water, or understandably they will be soggy, due to the water they absorb. This has become common practice when people want to prepare ahead, not just for roasting, but also before boiling.
- After peeling, dry the potatoes meticulously with a tea-towel or kitchen paper. Otherwise, even when tossed in fat or oil, they will stick to the roasting tin. Consequently, when you turn them over as you will need to do halfway through the cooking, the crispy bit underneath will stick to the tin.
- If you wish to prepare potatoes ahead, there are two options. Peel and dry each potato carefully, toss in extra virgin olive oil or fat of your choice, put into a bowl, cover and refrigerate. Alternatively, put into a plastic bag, twist the end, and refrigerate until needed. They will keep for 5 or 6 hours or overnight without discolouring.
Roast potatoes may be cooked in extra virgin olive oil, top-quality sunflower oil, duck fat, goose fat, pork fat (lard) or beef dripping. Each gives a delicious but different flavour. Depending on the flavour and texture you like, choose from the following cooking methods:
Toss the potatoes in the chosen fat and cook.
If you prefer a crunchier crust, put the peeled potatoes into a deep saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, simmer for 2–4 minutes only and drain. Dry each blanched potato and score the surface of each one with a fork. Then toss in the chosen oil or fat, season with salt and cook in a single layer in a heavy roasting pan in a preheated oven at 230ºC/450ºF/gas mark 8.
Drain the blanched potatoes, then put the saucepan with the potatoes inside over a medium heat, and shake the pot to dry the potatoes and fluff the blanched surface. Toss in your chosen oil or fat, season with salt and roast as above.
Note: some cooks, to create an even crunchier crust, like to toss the potatoes in a little flour seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper and maybe a pinch of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika.
For a more nutritious rustic roast potato, scrub the potato well, cut the unpeeled potatoes into wedges, toss in olive oil, dripping or duck or goose fat. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook until soft in the centre and crusty on the outside, about 20–30 minutes.
- 4 parsnips
- olive oil
- salt and freshly-ground pepper
I have a real passion for pan roasted parsnips — we eat them three or four times a week during the parsnip season. Buy them unwashed if possible. Roast Jerusalem artichokes are also super delicious. Scrub, no need to peel, half and cook in the same way.
Scrub the parsnips, peel and cut them into quarters — the chunks should be quite large. Roast in olive oil in a hot oven 230ºC/450ºF/regulo 8, turning them frequently so that they do not become too crusty. We often roast them in the same pan as Rustic Roast Potatoes, see recipe. Cooked this way they will be crisp outside and soft in the centre.
Not surprisingly many people loathe Brussels sprouts, because so often they are overcooked.
The traditional way to cook sprouts was to cut a cross in the stalk so that they would, hopefully, cook more evenly. Fortunately, I discovered quite by accident when I was in a mad rush one day, that if you cut the sprouts in half lengthways, or better still quarters, they cook much faster and taste infinitely more delicious so with this recipe I've managed to convert many ardent brussels sprout haters!
Top tip: they can be blanched, refreshed and drained and refrigerated the day before.
- 450g (1lb) Brussels sprouts, (cut lengthways top to bottom)
- 600ml (1 pint) water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 25-50g (1-2oz) butter or extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly-ground pepper
Choose even medium-sized sprouts. Trim the outer leaves if necessary and cut them in half or quarters lengthways – cut into quarters if they are very large.
Salt the water (its really important to add enough salt) and bring to a fast rolling boil.
Toss in the sprouts, cover the saucepan just for a minute until the water returns to the boil, then uncover and continue for 5 or 6 minutes or until the sprouts are cooked through but still have a slight bite. Drain very well.
Melt a little butter or extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan, roll the sprouts gently in the butter, season with lots of freshly ground pepper and salt. Taste and serve immediately in a hot serving dish.
If the sprouts are not to be served immediately, drain and refresh them under cold water just as soon as they are cooked.
Just before serving, drop them into boiling salted water for a few seconds to heat through. Drain and toss in the butter, season and serve.
This way they will taste almost as good as if they were freshly cooked: certainly much more delicious than sprouts kept warm for half an hour in an oven or a hostess trolley.
Try this Christmassy riff on Brussels sprouts — with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds, and a few crunchy walnuts.
Cook the sprouts in the usual way. Meanwhile melt 25-50g butter in a frying pan, toss in about 25g (1oz) coarsely chopped walnuts. As soon as the sprouts are cooked, drain and toss in the walnut butter. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and a little chopped parsley and serve.
Add 2-4oz (50-110g) of crispy bacon lardons or chorizo and 50g (2oz) of toasted and chopped hazelnuts to the above recipe and serve immediately.
How retro does creamed celery sound? But it’s really delicious and a much-loved part of our Christmas dinner. It can also be cooked ahead and reheated. Florence fennel also tastes good cooked this way.
Serves 4 - 6
- 1 head of celery
- salt and freshly-ground pepper
- Roux (see recipe)
- 4-6fl oz (120-175ml) cream or creamy milk
- chopped parsley
Pull the stalks off the head of celery. If the outer stalks seems a bit tough, peel the outer strings off with a swivel top peeler or else use these tougher stalks in the stockpot. Cut the stalks into 1 inch (2.5cm) chunks.
Bring 1/4 pint of water to the boil, and season with salt and freshly-ground pepper. Add the chopped celery, cook gently for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until a knife will go through with ease.
Remove celery to a serving dish with a slotted spoon. Thicken the remaining liquid with the roux, add enough cream to make sufficient sauce to coat the celery. Allow to bubble for a few minutes, pour over celery, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate when cool and reheat later.
- 1 x 12-14 lbs (5.5-6.5kg) free range turkey, preferably a bronze turkey
- 1 x 8-10 lbs (3.4-4.5kg) ham or loin of bacon (unsmoked, soaked overnight in cold water if salty)
- chicken or turkey stock
- dry white wine
- 2 carrots
- 1 large sliced onion
- 2 sticks celery bouquet garni
- a few peppercorns
- 50g (2oz) chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons other fresh herbs, eg. tarragon, thyme, chives, lemon balm
- 3-4 egg yolks
- 600ml (1 pint) cream
- 85g (3oz) roux Duchesse potato made with 5.5-6.5kg (12-14lb) potato, for piping around the dishes
- 85-100g (3-4oz) butter
- 1.2kg (2½lb) sliced mushrooms
- 180 ml (6fl.oz) cream
- 4 tablesp. fresh herbs, eg. parsley, thyme, chives
- 425g (15oz) onions, finely chopped
- Roux as needed (equal quantities of melted butter and flour cooked together for 2 – 3 mins)
- lemon juice
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 – 4 serving platters
Cover the ham with cold water, bring it slowly to the boil and discard the water, cover again with hot water. Bring to the boil and simmer until the ham is cooked, 2½ hours approx. (calculate 20 minutes to 450g (1lb) as a rough guide). The skin will peel off easily when the ham is cooked.
Meanwhile, season the turkey and put it into a large saucepan with about 12.5-15cm (5-6 inches) of water or chicken stock and white wine. Add 1 large sliced onion, 2 sticks of celery, 2 large carrots cut in chunks, a bouquet garni and a few black peppercorns. Bring to the boil, cover closely and simmer for 2 hours approx. either on top of the stove or in a moderate oven 180°C/350°F/regulo 4.
While the turkey and ham are cooking, prepare the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a wide heavy bottomed saucepan. When it sizzles add the chopped onions, cover and sweat over a low heat until soft but not coloured. Meanwhile in a hot frying pan, fry off the mushrooms a few at the time in a little butter, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, add them to the softened onions. Add more butter if necessary, but never too much, add the freshly chopped herbs, cream and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste for seasoning. Bring to the boil and thicken with enough roux to thicken lightly. Set the mushroom a la crémè aside until you are ready to assemble the dish.
When the turkey is cooked the legs will feel loose in their sockets, remove it from the casserole and de-grease the cooking liquid. Bring it to the boil and reduce by half. Add 300-450ml (10-15fl.oz) cream, I know that sounds shocking but this recipe makes 30 helpings and you are not going to eat it all yourself! Bring back to the boil and thicken to a light coating consistency with roux. Taste for seasoning.
Skin the turkey, the skin from a poached turkey is soft rather than crisp, so I don’t use it in this dish. Chop up the brown turkey meat from the legs and the white meat from the wings into smallish pieces and mix with the mushroom a la créme. Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 dessertspoon thyme, chives and lemon balm if available.
Spread a layer of the creamy sauce on the serving dishes. Carve a nice slice of bacon or ham for each serving and place at regular intervals on top of the sauce. Spoon some of the brown meat and mushroom mixture on top. Carve the turkey breast into thin slices and place 1 slice per serving on top of the mushrooms and ham, making individual complete sandwiches.
Whisk 3-4 egg yolks with 150ml (5fl.oz) cream to make a liaison, blend well and stir this into the remainder of the cream sauce. (It should be a coating consistency.) Coat the pieces of turkey with this sauce. Cool and refrigerate. If serving on the day, pipe a generous border of Duchesse potato all around the edge of the dishes. Cool the dishes quickly, cover and refrigerate or freeze until needed.
Reheat in a moderate oven 180C-190C/350-375F/regulo 4-5, for 30 minutes approx. until it is bubbling and golden on top. If necessary, flash under the grill to brown the edges of the Duchesse potato.
Garnish with generous sprigs of flat leaf fresh parsley and serve.
If freezing the dishes with a potato border around the edge, freeze first and then cover tightly with strong cling film to prevent the potato from getting squashed.
However, for best results, freeze without the potato, but pipe it on just before reheating.
- 110g (4oz) butter
- 110g (4oz) flour
Melt the butter and cook the flour in it for 2 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Use as required. Roux can be stored in a cool place and used as required or it can be made up on the spot if preferred. It will keep at least a fortnight in a refrigerator.
- Serves 4 900g (2lbs) unpeeled potatoes, preferably Golden Wonders or Kerr's Pinks
- 300ml (10fl ozs) creamy milk
- 1-2 egg yolks or 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
- 25-50g (1-2oz) butter
Scrub the potatoes well. Put them into a saucepan of cold water, add a generous pinch of salt, bring to the boil. When the potatoes are about half cooked, 15 minutes approx. for 'old' potatoes, strain off two-thirds of the water, replace the lid on the saucepan, put on to a gentle heat and allow the potatoes to steam until they are cooked. Peel immediately by just pulling off the skins, so you have as little waste as possible, put through a ricer or mouli legume while hot. (If you have a large quantity, put the potatoes into the bowl of a food mixer and beat with the spade).
While the potatoes are being peeled, bring about 300ml (10fl oz//1 1/4 cups) of milk to the boil. Beat the eggs into the hot mashed potatoes, and add enough boiling creamy milk to mix to a soft light consistency suitable for piping, then beat in the butter, the amount depending on how rich you like your potatoes. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Note: If the potatoes are not peeled and mashed while hot and if the boiling milk is not added immediately, the Duchesse potato will be lumpy and gluey. If you only have egg whites they will be fine and will make a deliciously light mashed potato also.
A brilliant new find: siblings, Tara and Rory Copplestone, in Baltimore in West Cork have started Foxglove Cocktails out of the desire to create delicious, handmade craft cocktails, that everyone can enjoy at home. Order your craft cocktail mixers and handmade garnishes on their website foxglovecocktails.ie or pick them up from Mahon Point Farmers Market on a Thursday or Douglas Farmers Market on a Saturday.
Glistening bottles of freshly-pressed Capezzana from Tuscany have just arrived at the Ballymaloe Cookery School Farm Shop plus Mani and Lia from Greece; Morgenster from South Africa; Ravida Castelines, Frescobaldi, Laudemio, and Colonna all from Italy; and finally, Sindyanna of Galilee, a Jewish/Arab collaboration run by inspirational women. A fantastic present for a friend who knows the magic of drizzling a superb cold-pressed olive oil over a simple dish but may not want to treat themselves.
