Actor Jamie Dornan revealed his culinary side on US TV when he magicked up a classic Tayto crisp sandwich and laid to rest some myths about Irish food on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The Co Down star of Belfast and Wild Mountain Thyme appeared on the show to discuss his latest film and TV series The Tourist, but he also had a chance to correct Kimmel on an important matter of traditional Irish food on St Patrick's Day.
When Kimmel mentioned that his family have a "corned-beef-arama" on the big day, Dornan said it’s "absurd" because nobody in Ireland eats corned beef to celebrate the patron Saint of Ireland.
Instead, the actor, who is set to star in the new Netflix thriller Heart of Stone alongside Gal Gadot. let American viewers into the secret of a more rarefied Irish delicacy - 'the Tayto smashie’.
"Ideally you get the cheapest white bread you can find. There used to be a bread back home called Mighty White which is like sugary death," he said.
"You go heavy on the mayo both sides. You don’t much around with light Mayonnaise either, you do the real stuff.
"Regular ham, the cheaper the better. It all comes from the same animal. You go quite heavy on there, five or six slices. Then you get Tayto cheese and onion, they’re a company in the North of Ireland where I’m from, their cheese and onion are the best crisps they do.
"Put the entire packet on there. This is maybe the most exciting thing that will happen in your day, your year, your life, is the crunch, that’s why they call it the Tayto smashie."
The sandwich got Jimmy's seal of approval, with the talk show host saying 'I thought it was going to be good, it’s about six times more delicious than I imagined.’
After sampling the sandwich, Kimmel said, 'I thought it was going to be good, it's about six times more delicious than I imagined.’
