A Chef's Table

Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day
By Jim Coleman with Maiken Scott

Jim Coleman This is a variation on a recipe I found in an old Irish cookbook. The Irish really did use potatoes for just about everything! It is hard to taste the potato in this rich, custardy pie. See if your guests can guess the main ingredient.

Irish Potato Pie with Irish Whiskey, Almonds and Orange

1 Russet potato (8 ounces) diced
Salt
6 large eggs separated
1/2 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup ground almonds (about 3 ounces)
1 tablespoon orange extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons Irish whiskey
1 frozen ready-made 9-inch deep-dish pie shell (thawed)
Whipped cream, to serve (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Cook the potato in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes or until soft. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks until fluffy and lemon colored. Set aside.

When the potato is done cooking, drain and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the butter and mash by hand or with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the almonds, the extracts, sugar, whiskey and egg yolks to the potato mixture and blend.

Gently fold in the egg whites and pour the mixture into the pie shell. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pie from the oven, slice and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

This recipe can be found in the new book Jim Coleman's Flavors

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