This is a quick but flavoursome meal. There is also something very gratifying about getting your hands dirty while forming the meatballs. The chilli is optional, so they don’t have to be that spicy at all.

Spicy Lamb Meatballs – Printer Friendly Download

Ingredients

• 1 large potato, peeled and grated
• 1 large onion, peeled and grated
• 500 g/1 lb lamb, minced
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
• salt and pepper 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup fresh herbs such as parsley, coriander, tarragon and mint
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 cup olive oil

Serves 6

To Cook

Rinse the grated potato in cold water and with your hands squeeze out all the moisture. Place all the ingredients except the oil into a bowl and mix until well combined. Form the mixture into small balls and flatten them into pattie shapes. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the meatballs in batches for about 5 minutes on each side, turning carefully.

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of  James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers

This recipe comes from Pat Whelan’s book, An Irish Butcher Shop and has been quoted by Katy McGuinness in the Tribune Magazine as being great value for money, working out at less than €7.00 per portion. Most barbecues in our household are spontaneous events, but marinating meat for the barbecue gives a degree of certainty about the taste and tenderness of the end result, particularly if you are uncertain about the tenderness or indeed the taste of the meat at hand.

Beer-Basted Barbecue Steaks – Printer Friendly Download

Ingredients

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1½ tablespoons grainy mustard
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 cup beer (ale or lager can be used)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 steaks, trimmed

serves 6

To Cook

Place the sugar, mustard, vinegar, beer, onion and bay leaf in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, uncovered. Cool. Pour the mixture over the steaks. Stand for 2 hours or so, turning occasionally. Barbecue until cooked as desired.

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of  James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers

This recipe comes from Pat Whelan’s book, An Irish Butcher Shop and has been quoted by Katy McGuinness in the Tribune Magazine as being great value for money, working out at less than €7.00 per portion.Crumbed meat is always popular and at the shop we have ready-to-go options for busy people. For those who want to get their hands dirty, the result is well worth the effort and the process is quite therapeutic.

Crumbed Steak with Mustard Sauce and Avocado – Printer Friendly Download

Ingredients

• 4 fillet steaks
• 3 tablespoons plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups fresh white bread-crumbs
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 50 g/2 oz butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 avocados, peeled and sliced

Mustard Sauce

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 125 g/4½ oz butter, softened

Serves 4

To Cook

To make the mustard sauce, place the egg yolks, lemon juice, seasonings and mustard into a double saucepan (a bowl over a saucepan of hot water will work equally well if you don’t have a double saucepan) and stir until combined. Add the softened butter and mix well. Place the saucepan over a low heat and stir until the sauce is thick and creamy.

The steaks need to be thin in order to cook through quickly, so first remove any fat from each steak and pound out to about 1.25 cm/1⁄2 inch thick.

Have three wide bowls or dishes ready and a plate to receive the finished crumbed steak. One bowl contains the flour, the second is for the beaten egg mixture, and the breadcrumbs and chopped parsley go into the third. Taking each steak separately, coat with the flour first and then dip it into the egg mix. Finally, press the breadcrumb/parsley mixture on to the steak and place it on a plate. Repeat until all steaks are covered. Refrigerate the crumbed meat for at least an hour until ready to cook. Heat the butter and oil in a large pan and cook the steaks until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Plate up with slices of avocado on top and a trail of the mustard sauce.

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of  James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers

This recipe comes from Pat Whelan’s book, An Irish Butcher Shop and has been quoted by Katy McGuinness in the Tribune Magazine as being great value for money, working out at less than €7.00 per portion. Cooking marinated meat for 6 hours may seem excessive, but the melt-in-the- mouth shredded meat that results makes it all worth while.

Slow-Roasted Lamb – Printer Friendly Download

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg/3 lb leg/shoulder of lamb
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serves 6

To Cook

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2.

Remove the lamb from the fridge and wipe it with a paper towel. Combine all the other ingredients to make a paste and rub it over the lamb. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

Put the lamb in a roasting pan, add 1 cup of water and cover with aluminium foil. Place in the oven and cook for 3 hours. Reduce the temperature to 120°C/250°F/gas mark 1 and cook for a further 3 hours. When cooked, let the meat stand for at least 10 minutes. Shred the meat with a fork.

Serve on a bed of mashed potato.

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of  James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers

This is one of those retro dishes that conjure up notions of sophisticated dining using the best silver and crystal. It is time-consuming to prepare rather than difficult. I love to cook it from time to time, as I always receive appreciative responses from impressed diners for what is actually a very straightforward dish, especially if you take the shortcuts of using bought pâté and ready-made pastry!

Beef Wellington – Printer Friendly Download

Ingredients

• 1 whole beef fillet
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 35 g/1¼ oz butter
• 225 g/8 oz field mushrooms, chopped into small dice
• salt and pepper
• 500 g/1 lb pâté
• 6 slices of Serrano ham
• 500 g/1 lb puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
• Red wine sauce
• 150 ml/5 fl oz red wine
• 60 ml/2 fl oz beef or chicken stock
• 30–50 g/1–2 oz cold butter, cubed

Serves 6

To Cook

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.

The meat should be left out of the fridge for 30 minutes or so to bring it to room temperature. Rub the oil into the meat and place it into a roasting pan and then into the oven for 20–25 minutes for medium to well done. The timing is about taste preference, so adjust it accordingly. When the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely, reserving the pan juices along with any sediment.

Heat the butter in a separate pan, add the mushrooms and stir until all the liquid is evaporated and the mixture is dry. Season to taste and leave it to cool.

Spread the fillet with the pâté, covering it completely. Lay out a large piece of clingfilm and on top of that line up the slices of ham. Place the pâté-covered fillet on top and spread the mushroom mix over it. Wrap the ham around the fillet and then roll up tightly in the cling- film and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle larger than the fillet. Unwrap the fillet from the clingfilm and place it on the pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg mixture. Fold up the long edges of the dough to enclose the sides, pressing together to seal. Fold the ends that have been brushed with the egg mix and press together. Transfer the fillet to an oven tray and place it seam side down. Chill in the fridge for an hour so, and then place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden. To make the red wine sauce, pour the wine and stock into the reserved juices in the roasting tin on top of the stove and deglaze over a medium heat, incorporating all the crusty bits. Boil to reduce the stock by about a third, add the cold butter and stir until the sauce has heated through.

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of  James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers

Guinness – or stout by any other name – adds a lushness to this dish and the prunes offset any bitterness of the stout with just a hint of sweetness. The oil and butter combination helps to brown the meat and develop crusty caramelised bits that really enhance the flavour when incorporated into the sauce. I love this served with buttery mashed potatoes to soak up the juice.

Braised Beef and Guinness Casserole – Printer Friendly Download

Ingredients

• 1 kg/2 lb Diced Round Steak
• 4 tablespoons plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 streaky bacon rashers,chopped
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 15 g/1⁄2 oz butter
• 2 cups Guinness (or any stout but not lager!)
• 2 bay leaves, a sprig of thyme and a sprig of parsley tied together into a bouquet garni
• 8 prunes
• 1⁄2 cup parsley, finely chopped

Serves 6

To Cook

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

The easiest way to coat the meat in the flour is to toss it in a plastic bag and shake until the cubes of meat are well coated.

Heat the oil in a sturdy pan and gently brown the bacon. Remove from the pan and place in a casserole dish. Add the onions and fry until they are aromatic and beginning to brown, moving them around to avoid burning. Add these to the bacon in the casserole. Melt the butter in the pan, add the beef and cook until browned all over. Then add to the bacon and onions in the casserole. Keep the pan over the heat and pour in half the Guinness, scraping up any residue, and bring to the boil. Pour this over the meat and add the bouquet garni. Add the rest of the Guinness to the casserole with enough water to ensure that the meat is just covered. Cover the casserole with a tight-fitting lid and place in a moderate oven (180°C/350°F/gas mark 4) for 2 hours.

After 2 hours take the casserole out of the oven and stir. Add the prunes and cook for a further 30 minutes. Check for seasoning and remove the bouquet garni before serving. Stir in the parsley and serve.

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of  James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers