It's Not Green Beer, but It's Still Good.

Tonight we made a delicious Irish-inspired dinner in the spirit of Saint Patrick. I do love America's drinking holidays. Everyone celebrates being Irish once a year and then, two months later, being Mexican. I venture to guess that most people have no idea what either holiday is actually for. I find this amusing. Before we move onto the actual food part, let's learn a little bit about St. Patrick's Day, just in case there is a party pooper who questions your Irishness on Wednesday. (I mean, everyone IS Irish on St. Patrick's Day.)

FACT: St. Patrick's Day is the feast day of St. Patrick. It's a public holiday in Ireland, celebrated on the 17th of March. The 18th of March might as well be a holiday everywhere St. Pat's is celebrated, since most celebrators are hung over the next day.

FACT: The original color associated with the holiday, according to Wikipedia, was blue, not green. Green came about because of the association St. Patrick made between the holy trinity and shamrocks. Maybe people shouldn't be pinched if they don't wear green, after all.

FACT: This holiday was often celebrated as a one day break from Lent, where drinking was allowed. Hence the debauchery we celebrate today.

Whatever Your Luck American-Style Bangers and Mash
6 medium-sized red potatoes (Or white. Whatever suits your fancy.)
1 cup chicken broth (They come in convenient little mini-cartons now!)
1/4 stick butter (Remember: if it tastes good, it has butter in it.)
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (Or none at all. Whatever.)
1 package of the sausage of your choice (Bangers are beef sausage, for those desiring to keep it real.)
1 small or 3/4 medium white onion, chopped (Chewing gun really helps prevent tears.)
1 can or jar of beets (You might need 2 if you are a beet lover at heart.)
1 bag of salad (I told you this was easy.)
Feta crumbles (Tastes great with beets, but I'm sure it's not Irish.)
Walnuts (Optional)
salt and pepper (To taste)
Whatever salad dressing you like (I like vinaigrette.)

Start by cutting the (clean) potatoes into small pieces. Toss them into a large pot of water. Bring them to a boil and boil them until they are soft enough to mash.

While the potatoes are cooking, get your salad together. Drain the beets, and cut them into smaller bites (if desired). Toss them into your salad bowl with the feta crumbles and walnuts.
Start the sausages. We used the Foreman Grill, but you could pan fry them with the onions or grill the outside. Warm EVOO in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute your onions for about 10 minutes in the pan, or until they are soft.

By this point, the potatoes should be finished cooking. Drain the water out of the pot and transfer the potatoes into a bowl for mashing. Add the butter. Mash the potatoes until they are reduced to tiny pieces. The butter should melt into them while they are hot. Add the garlic and gradually add the stock, whipping the potatoes with a hand-held mixer. Salt and pepper them to taste.