My Irish Table

January 20, 2014
Rare is the American cookbook that illuminates Irish cuisine, and this personal collection from a Dublin-born, Washington-based chef and restaurateur explores Emerald Isle fare with enthusiastic reverence. Armstrong recounts his early years eating out of his father’s garden, and his apprenticeships in U.S. kitchens before he opened his first establishment, Restaurant Eve, in Alexandria, Va., offering the relevant recipes along the way. Beginning with Irish breakfast, including homemade black pudding and marmalade, he moves on to “Sunday” dishes such as kidneys in red wine sauce, his mother’s potato pancakes and shepherd’s pie on through his restaurant fare, like an Irish Caesar salad with brown breadcrumbs and Cashel blue cheese. While his Irish-American innovations such as foie gras with black pudding and pears, pan-roasted loin of venison with carrot puree, glazed baby carrots and brown bread cream are a bit precious and time consuming for the home cook, there are plenty of everyday eats here: potato leek soup; steamed mussels with lemon and bay leaf; and Bakewell Tart. Armstrong’s emphasis on local ingredients, his amiable narrative and the lineup of dishes both classic and contemporary make a compelling case. Color photos.