Open-Faced Tacos (Meat-Free!)

Here's a recipe for the ultimate comfort food. (What is it about refried beans that makes me want to eat them straight from the can?) This was inspired by an open taco salad I had at Tonic while we were visiting Kate in Washington, D.C.

four medium potatoes
one large onion
two bell peppers
one or two red/green chilis
one can refried beans
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper
a few tablespoons olive oil
soft burrito shells (wheat or corn)
one jar spicy enchilada sauce
sour cream
grated cheddar cheese
one package of soy mince or braised tofu (optional—or those of you who are omnivores could, of course, use the real thing)

Dice potatoes, onion, peppers, and chilis. Saute potatoes on medium-high heat for ten minutes or so, then add remaining vegetables and cook until soft. Stir in diced garlic and spices, then add mince/tofu if using. Preheat oven to 400º. Add refried beans and mix thoroughly, lowering heat.

Glaze burrito shells with olive oil on both sides, and bake in oven until golden and crispy (10 minutes or so). Spoon filling onto shell, top with sauce, sour cream, and grated cheddar, and mash it all in so the cheese melts. (I've tried putting the finished taco back in the oven before serving, but if you do that the shell won't be crispy anymore.)

Makes four tacos (serves two). NYOM NYOM NYOM!

Fine weather, part two

We spent last weekend in Carrick. It was Mother's Day on Sunday, and Brendan's nephew's birthday, and I also spoke to a creative writing workshop on Saturday morning. This particular workshop uses the Amherst Writers and Artists methodology, which makes for a more supportive environment. (I skimmed parts of Pat Schneider's excellent book, Writing Alone and With Others, and will soon be picking up a copy of my own. More on this in a future post.)

Here's the title page of a slightly older book in the O'Brien family library:

Cool, huh?

On Saturday evening we went to Kilkieran Cottage, an adorable restaurant with this lovely view (I took this picture from the car park):

Within that graveyard are the Kilkieran high crosses, which I must visit in daylight the next time I get down there. Kilkieran is just over the border in Kilkenny, a 15-minute drive from Carrick on Suir. I'll be writing up Kilkieran Cottage in the second edition—the food (I had the mushroom and asparagus risotto and the rhubarb crumble) was delish and the service was very good. (You can see the cottage in the background of the top photograph on the Megalithic Ireland page I linked to above.) I have a soft spot for gourmet restaurants in the so-called middle of nowhere...makes a good meal feel that much more special, don't you think?

On Sunday we took a walk through Seskin Wood, on a hill overlooking town, river, and pasture.


Gorse bushes may be common enough, but the sight of all those cheery yellow buds always makes me happy.

Adventures in Berlin: Where to Eat

I didn't have any trouble eating out in Germany as a vegetarian—even the restaurants in Wernigerode had surprisingly good veggie options. Here are a few recommendations (I dunno, maybe you can bookmark this post for when you plan your own trip to Berlin?)

If you happen to stay in Kreuzberg, try Amici Miei (Mehringdamm 40), a hole-in-the-wall pizzeria with very friendly service where we got this humongous (and delicious) spinach pie for €11.80 (cheap by Irish standards). Hard to believe, but we eventually polished it off.

But our favorite eatery (we ate there twice) was Malete, on Chausseestrasse 131 in the Mitte neighborhood. The Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern-inspired dishes there were absolutely to die for—even something as simple as fried eggs over sauteed veggies with a side of roasted potatoes. Or order anything with eggplant/aubergine in it. Our meals came with a basket of the tastiest fresh toasted bread spread lightly with a parmesan/red pesto sauce. Just writing about it now makes me want to scrap the Bavaria plan and return to Berlin instead!

The last spot to recommend is in Potsdam, where I happened upon a terrific little vegetarian café close to Sanssouci called Café KieselStein (Hegelallee 23). Roasted pumpkin stuffed with feta and veggies, Asian-inspired soups made with coconut milk, homemade berry pies, organic local beers...great all-around, though the service was a bit slow. There seemed to be a lot of cute restaurants in the Dutch quarter too, but KieselStein was perfect after a long stroll through the park.

AT LAST!

My epic quest for spudballs ended last night at approximately 6pm at Fats Quann's takeaway in Carrick on Suir.

A spudball is a big blob of mashed potato and minced onion, fried in batter and sprinkled liberally with salt and vinegar. They're packaged first in a brown paper bag, then in newspaper, then in one of those ubiquitous blue and white striped plastic bags that is the hallmark of Irish mom-'n-pop fast food.


I have never heard tell of them anywhere besides Carrick on Suir, and as you may remember, the first two times I visited Brendan's family either the takeaway was closed or they were out of spudballs.

Greasy, mushy, salty goodness. Worth the wait? Oh baby!