St. Paddy's Day Irish Pizza
Guinness-glazed rainbow carrots, creamy Worcestershire sauce, baked potato-cabbage bundles (with boiled cabbage, mashed potatoes, onions, horseradish, cheddar, garlic & bread crumbs), grated extra-sharp cheddar
Recipe
Ingredients: 1 ball of dough flour for dusting
semolina flour for pizza stone salt & pepper olive oil 2 lbs carrots, halved lengthwise & cut into 3-inch pieces (we used colorful carrots, but regular orange works just fine) 2 garlic cloves, minced ¾ cup Guinness 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon cumin seeds ½ cup mayo 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1 hunk extra-sharp cheddar (preferably something Irish for consistency), grated
For the cabbage bundles: 1 medium white onion, halved lengthwise & sliced crosswise 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 large head leafy green cabbage 1 teaspoon minced garlic ¾ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 2/3 cup water 2 lbs large gold potatoes, peeled & cut into 1-inch cubes 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk 1 cup extra-sharp white Cheddar, grated (you can use the same hunk as above) 2 tablespoons drained bottled horseradish 6 tablespoons butter ¾ cup coarse fresh bread crumbs from a country loaf (just tear them up until they are a little bigger than panko bread crumbs)
Directions: Preheat your oven to 390° F. You’re going to roast the carrots first, since they will take the longest amount of time. In a large baking dish, toss the carrots & garlic with the cumin seeds, a splash of olive oil, and a couple pinches of salt & pepper.
Pour the Guinness over the carrots, followed by the balsamic vinegar. Stir once more before putting them in the oven, then let them roast for about 45 minutes. Toss them again and put them back in the oven, but turn off the heat. Let them sit in the warm oven for another 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, you can start to tackle the cabbage. Fill a large pot of salted water and bring it to a boil. While it’s heating, remove any damaged outer leaves from the head of cabbage.
To core the cabbage, first cut off any remaining stem at the bottom, and then stick a fork firmly into the base—this will become your handle. Hold the fork handle with one hand and, using a sharp knife, cut slowly around the core.
Position your knife at a slight diagonal towards the center so that once you’ve gone all the way around, you can use the fork to pull the core out. Repeat until you’ve gotten all of the tough, non-leafy core out of the center of the cabbage.
Now, carefully lower your cored cabbage into the boiling water. As it begins to soften, pull off 6 of the large outer leaves with tongs. Let them cook with the head for another 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a boil of ice water to stop the cooking. Let them drain on a paper towel, and drain the cabbage head in a colander. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Next add the potatoes to a medium saucepan and cover with cold salted water by an inch. Bring to a boil and then let them cook for about 15 minutes, until tender. Drain in a colander, and then set the colander over the pot to let them steam-dry for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the onions in a pan with a bit of oil over medium heat. Let them simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or so, until soft and golden.
Coarsely chop enough of the cabbage head to measure 3 cups and add them to the onion, along with the garlic, water, and a pinch of salt & pepper. You might want to do this in a deeper skillet if your onion pan isn’t big enough. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes, until cabbage is tender and browned.
Mash the potatoes in a large bowl and stir in the buttermilk, cheese, horseradish, 4 tablespoons butter, and a couple pinches of salt & pepper. Set aside.
In another pan, toast the bread crumbs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, stirring frequently for about 5 to 7 minutes, until golden.
Now comes the assembly part. In a muffin/cupcake pan, line strips of parchment paper in a checkered pattern, vertically and horizontally, such that there is an x in the middle of each muffin cup. This isn’t 100% necessary—it will just make it a lot easier to pull the bundles out of the pan once they’re done cooking.
Take your large lettuce leaves and tear them in half, then lay them individually in each muffin cup. In each leaf, spoon a bit of the potato mixture, followed by the cabbage mixture, and then more of the potato mixture. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and fold the cabbage leaves in so that they mostly cover the bundle.
Bake for about 25 minutes or so, until the edges of the cabbage are nice and brown. Increase the oven temperature to 550° F.
While the oven is heating, you can make the sauce. Combine the mayo, Worcestershire, mustard, vinegar, sugar, plus about ½ teaspoon each of salt & pepper, and stir until smooth.
Prepare the dough using the instructions on the right. When it’s baked for a minute, take it out and brush it lightly with olive oil. Next spread an even layer of the creamy Worcestershire sauce over the dough.
Carefully take your cabbage bundles out of the muffin tin and place about 5 or so onto the pizza (depending on how large your pizza is). You’ll have quite a few leftover—these make a great appetizer or leftovers for the next day!
Next place the carrots around the cabbage bundles and sprinkle the grated cheddar over the entire pizza. Bake until the cheese is nice and melty and the crust is golden brown. Take it out and enjoy—sláinte!
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