The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (42 page)

Just because this isn’t the most regal of dishes doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the more delicious ones! Anyone — regardless of personal wealth — would enjoy the creamy, not to mention buttery taste of well-mashed potatoes. Whether Lady Mary and her sisters could bear to be spotted eating such a lowly and unattractive dish is debatable, which means that mashed potatoes are more likely to be enjoyed by the servers of Downton Abbey than by those served.

8 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

¹
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cup heavy cream, warmed

¹
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cup whole milk, warmed

¹
⁄
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cup unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cover pot and bring water to a boil. Cook for 30–35 minutes or until extremely tender. Drain well.
   
2. Add cream, milk, butter, salt, and pepper to potatoes. Mash until light and fluffy.
   

Tom Branson would expect these mashed potatoes to be served with his Tom Branson’s Colcannon or the Shepherd’s Pie (see both recipes in this chapter) as potatoes are a sturdy, not to mention predictable, side dish to most lower- to middle-class meals.

This dish, while likely enjoyed by the Downton Abbey staff, would be considered too plebeian for the aristocrats of Downton due to its lack of fancy French ingredients.

1
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⁄
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cups whole walnuts

2 small shallots, minced

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon walnut oil

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds celery, thinly sliced

4 ounces dry Pecorino cheese, thinly shaved

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Evenly spread walnuts in a medium-sized pie dish and toast for 10–15 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
   
2. In a small bowl, combine the shallots with the sherry vinegar. Then whisk in the lemon juice, walnut oil, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
   
3. In a large bowl, toss together the celery and Pecorino cheese. Add in the dressing, then toss. Serve immediately.
   

There’s a whole language in just how one places his fork on his plate at the end of the meal. To show when you’re finished in England, your fork and knife may rest either straight up and down on the middle of the plate with the handles resting on the rim of said plate, or the fork and knife may be angled between the 10 and 4 o’clock positions — handles still on the rim. And whatever you do,
do not
place your napkin on the plate!

If there’s one thing that chauffeur Tom Branson is proud of it’s his Irish heritage. Thus, it’s likely that he’d ask Mrs. Patmore to make this dish for him during a particularly lonesome evening after Lady Sybil rebuffs another one of his advances. That said, convincing Mrs. Patmore to cater to such a request from an impertinent servant would be another thing altogether.

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed

1 cup butter, chopped into tablespoons

¹
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cup heavy cream, heated

³
⁄
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cup whole milk, heated

Kosher salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 head green cabbage, cored and finely shredded

1 pound ham, cooked

1 clove garlic, minced

4 green onions, sliced, white parts and green tops separated

1. In a large pot, steam the potatoes in their skins for 30 minutes. Peel them using a fork, then chop with a knife before mashing. Mash until all lumps are removed. Add
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   cup of the butter, then gradually pour in heated cream and heated milk, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
   
2. Boil the cabbage in water until it turns a darker shade. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to help tenderize it. Cover with lid for 3–5 minutes. Drain cabbage thoroughly, then return it to pan and chop into small pieces.
   
3. In a large saucepan, cover the ham with water. Bring ham to a boil and let simmer for 45 minutes or until tender. Then drain the ham and chop it into small pieces.
   
4. In a medium-sized skillet, heat remaining butter over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic and white parts of the green onions. Cook until the garlic has softened and mellowed. Add it to mashed potatoes, followed by the chopped ham and cabbage.
   
5. Serve in individualized soup bowls, topped with 1 tablespoon extra butter (if desired), and sprinkle with green-onion tops to serve.
   

It’s an Irish tradition to serve this dish on Halloween with small coins or rings concealed inside, similar to the way the Downton Abbey artistocrats would serve Mrs. Patmore’s Christmas Pudding (see
Chapter 7
) with treats within. Maybe if Tom asks Mrs. Patmore really nicely, she’ll do this for him on the festive day!

Even though the poorer classes — such as those that make up the staff at Downton Abbey — were allowed the least choice meats (such as the chuck steaks and the lamb kidney used in this recipe), this Steak and Kidney Pie would still be a sumptuous meal for anyone, regardless of their riches.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1
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pounds chuck steaks, cut into 1
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-inch cubes

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pound lamb kidney

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 medium onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

4 medium carrots, diced

4 large mushrooms, sliced