He proclaimed his Irish heritage proudly.
“My full name is Sean Patrick Michael McDonough. My father’s family came from Sligo, and my mother’s family is from Cork. We make many Irish dishes throughout the year, but we tend to ramp it up a bit during February and March just in time for the feast of God’s favorite saint, Patrick.”
So began my correspondence with McDonough, whose St. Patrick’s Day menu we share with you today.
McDonough’s grandparents emigrated from Ireland to the United States through Philadelphia and ended up in Pittsburgh, where they met and married. His dad was a steelworker and part-time carpenter; his mom worked at the local supermarket and had dinner on the table at 5:45 every evening.
Every March, the extended family would gather for the feast of St. Patrick. “The entire family, cousins, aunts and uncles, the O’Briens, the Murphys, the Rooneys and the McDonoughs would go to the St. Patrick’s Day parade and end up at someone’s home eating corned beef and cabbage and potatoes,” McDonough said.
McDonough found his way to Atlanta like so many other transplants, through love and work. His college sweetheart, Tracey, had grown up in Alpharetta. McDonough found a job and followed, and they married in 1993. Tracey readily proclaims herself not a cook. “My best dish is Coca-Cola cake,” she said, laughing, but she is the consummate hostess, at ease entertaining her guests while McDonough turns out the food. Now the household includes daughters Rileigh, 12, and Aidan, 10, and a 2-year-old Boxer named Murphy.
McDonough is quite at home in the kitchen of his Roswell home. “I do all the cooking. I love it. It’s therapeutic," he said. "For years I worked from home, and after getting up and doing my morning e-mails, I would flick on the Food Network and figure out what I wanted to make that day. A run up to the store at lunchtime and dinner was under way.”
Cooking isn’t something he learned at his mother’s knee. “She cooked every single day, and I love her for it," McDonough said. "But when she cooked roast beef, she cooked it for four hours. It came out as brown as shoe leather.”
Out on his own with his first job, he taught himself to cook, and the more he cooked, the more his friends enjoyed the food, and the more they enjoyed the food, the more he cooked. “I enjoy having people say: ‘Did you make this? This is incredible.’ ”
Food is a major way the family stays connected to its Irish roots. “We make corned beef and cabbage once a month or every other month. I make shepherd’s pie from scratch five or six times a year, and I do a lot of soups and chowders,” McDonough said. In homage to the beef and potato meals of his youth, he still serves roast beef, but this time it's served medium rare with a cabernet reduction.
At least once a month, after church, the family lets someone else do the Irish cooking, as they head out to Alpharetta’s Old Blind Dog Irish Pub for breakfast. McDonough orders a Guinness with the full Irish breakfast: four kinds of meat, a side dish of baked beans, a roasted tomato, eggs and soda bread. The kids are happy with their fish and chips, while Tracey enjoys a shandy, a combination of beer and a little limeade.
Now McDonough is about to open the Roswell Tap in a historic house in downtown Roswell. At his new place, McDonough is planning to help others connect to the food of their roots. Recognizing that the area is full of transplants, he is designing a menu that could have been served at the old neighborhood bar. From Pittsburgh, he has brought the idea of a sandwich piled high with coleslaw and fries. Those from Boston should recognize the lobster roll, and if you’re from Chicago, the deep dish pizza and Italian beef sandwich will feel familiar.
“Our plan is to be like your old neighborhood bar, no matter what neighborhood you’re from,” McDonough said.
And if the neighborhood is lucky, McDonough will also offer a few specials that pay homage to his Irish roots.
An Irish alternative:
McDonough serves up a delicious alternative menu to that traditional big platter of boiled corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots. He has also given us a 411 on making a roux. That hearkens to his first cooking lesson, a class offered by the sous chef of Charleston’s Magnolia Restaurant in the 1990s. The sous chef turned out to be Tyler Florence, and McDonough learned everything there was to know about roux and grits. He still uses those lessons in his cooking every day.
Caramelized Carrots and Turnips
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Although this recipe uses the term “caramelized," McDonough doesn’t actually brown the vegetables. When they’re done, they are tender and sweet and a nice counterpoint to the rich corned beef strudel. McDonough also serves these vegetables as a side dish to his lamb and veal shepherd’s pie. You might note that the colors of the finished dish mimic those of the Irish flag.
2 cups 1/2-inch diced carrots (about 3/4 pound)
2 cups 1/2-inch diced turnips (about 3/4 pound)
2 cups water, or as needed
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and white pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
In a 10-inch skillet, combine carrots and turnips. Add water to just cover vegetables and sprinkle with sugar. Turn heat to medium high and cook until water evaporates, about 25 minutes. Do not stir. When water has evaporated, stir in butter and taste for seasoning. Garnish with parsley.
Per serving: 138 calories (percent of calories from fat, 37), 1 gram protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 6 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 16 milligrams cholesterol, 74 milligrams sodium.
Smoky Bacon and Clam Chowder
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Makes: 12 cups
McDonough makes his own house seasoning, which he uses for spicing up this chowder and a host of other dishes. He combines cayenne, garlic and onion powders, black pepper and salt, and keeps a crock by the stove. In addition to using it to season a dish, he sprinkles a little around the edges of a dish, in the style of Food Network star Emeril Lagasse. For St. Patrick’s Day, McDonough amps up the Irish with pumpernickel toast in the shape of shamrocks.
1/2 pound low-sodium bacon, diced
1 cup diced onion (1 medium onion)
2 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno
1 tablespoons minced garlic
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 (6.5-ounce) cans chopped clams, drained, juice and clams reserved
3 cups 1/2-inch diced peeled baking potatoes
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
Grated Irish cheddar and chopped chives for garnish
In a large saucepan, cook bacon over low heat until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat. Stir in onion, jalapeño and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. To make the roux, add olive oil and flour and cook until mixture is a vanilla color, about 5 minutes.
Turn heat to medium and add 1 cup reserved clam juice. Cook until mixture is smooth, then add remaining juice. Bring mixture to a boil and add potatoes, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Reduce heat and simmer chowder until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally so mixture does not scorch.
Turn off heat. Add the reserved clams and cream and cover pot. Let chowder sit 2 minutes, then taste for seasoning. Serve garnished with cheddar and chives.
Per 1-cup serving, without cheddar and chives garnish: 440 calories (percent of calories from fat, 52), 30 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 25 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 100 milligrams cholesterol, 258 milligrams sodium.
How to make a roux
A roux is a mixture of fat and flour used to thicken gravies, sauces, soups and chowders. In his chowder recipe, McDonough cooks his aromatics first and then adds the flour and begins the browning process for the roux. Traditionally the fat and flour are cooked to the desired color, and then the vegetables are added.
Step 1: Choose your fat. Oil is traditional for a Louisiana-style gumbo; butter for a French white sauce. Bacon fat is another option that will add its own depth of flavor.
Step 2: In a large flat-bottomed skillet, heat the fat over medium-high heat and add the flour. Stir the fat and flour until the mixture is smooth. As the mixture heats, you will need to keep stirring to keep it from burning. Stir every 15 seconds or so, and do not be tempted to walk away.
Step 3: After about 5 minutes, the roux should be at the first stage, often referred to as “blond,” which McDonough calls “vanilla.” This is the stage used for the smoky bacon and clam chowder recipe here.
Step 4: Continue to cook and stir the roux and it will reach the second stage, which McDonough calls “peanut butter.” That’s the right stage for a brown gravy.
Step 5: As you keep cooking, the mixture will continue to darken to the color of milk chocolate and then dark chocolate, or, if you’re a fan of Irish beers, the color of Guinness. This last stage is traditionally used for gumbo. The darker the roux, the less thickening power it has, but the more flavor it adds to the finished dish.
When the roux has cooked to the right stage, add 1 cup of warm liquid from the recipe. Stir to get rid of any lumps and then it’s safe to add the roux to the remaining liquid. Bring the gravy, sauce or soup to a boil to get the full benefit of the thickening power of the roux.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Strudel
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Although you can used deli corned beef for this recipe, McDonough prefers to cook his own from packaged corned beef available in the fresh meat case of the grocery store. If you would like to try your hand at corning your own beef, the recipe follows.
1/4 pound low-sodium bacon, diced
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
Salt and pepper
6 sheets phyllo
1 pound sliced corned beef
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup white wine
2 teaspoons honey
In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat; add onion, shallot and garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in cabbage and cook until it wilts, about 5 minutes. Stir in Creole mustard. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Taste for seasoning.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lay 3 sheets of phyllo on working surface, one on top of the other, long side facing you. About one third of the way from the bottom of the sheet, spread half the corned beef across the length of the phyllo. Top with half cabbage mixture and half Swiss cheese. Turn one long edge of the phyllo over the corned beef/cabbage/cheese mixture and then tuck in the short ends to enclose the filling. Continue rolling the strudel. Move to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Brush each roll with 1 tablespoon olive oil and bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.
While strudel is baking, prepare honey-mustard sauce by combining mustard, wine and honey in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat until combined, about 2 minutes. Keep warm.
Serve strudel with honey-mustard sauce. Strudel may be served warm or at room temperature.
Per serving (with sauce): 685 calories (percent of calories from fat, 69), 38 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 49 grams fat (17 grams saturated), 111 milligrams cholesterol, 727 milligrams sodium.
Corned Beef
Hands on: 5 minutes
Total time: 3 hours plus resting and soaking time
Makes: 4 pounds
Corning beef could not be simpler. Stir up a seasoned mixture of salt, spices and herbs and let the beef marinate for a few days up to two weeks. Then soak out the salt and boil the meat. The hardest part is remembering to start the project far enough in advance. And the advantage is that you end up with beautifully spiced beef that’s an appetizing light brown instead of bright red. If your cut of meat will fit into a zippered plastic bag, then brine it in the bag rather than a baking dish, making the job even easier.
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon allspice
1 5-pound piece beef brisket
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 onion, cut in quarters
1 large carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut in half
In a small bowl, combine salt, sugar, pepper and allspice. Rub mixture on all sides of brisket. Place brisket in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add thyme and bay leaf and cover. Put brisket in the refrigerator and place a weight on top; leave for two days up to two weeks. Turn meat daily.
When ready to cook, remove meat from baking dish and rinse. Place in large soup pot and cover with water. Let soak for 4 hours. Drain and cover with 2 inches water. Add onion, carrot and celery. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer slowly for about 3 hours or until brisket is tender. Skim scum as it accumulates on the pan.
Remove brisket from cooking liquid and scrape off any fat. Discard vegetables and cooking liquid. Corned beef can be served warm or cold.
Adapted from “Julia Child & Company” by Julia Child (Alfred A. Knopf, out of print)
Per 1/4-pound serving: 261 calories (percent of calories from fat, 48), 31 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 13 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 98 milligrams cholesterol, 434 milligrams sodium.
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