As one of the country's top young chefs, Mark Moriarty knows a thing or two about innovation, but even he was blown away by one farmer's idea for keeping her farm going during the pandemic.
Tonight on Cook-In With Mark Moriarty, the chef meets Maria Flynn, a potato farmer from Co. Louth who runs Ballymakenny Farm Potatoes near Drogheda with her husband David, and are the proud owners of the Spud Shack.
Having worked in finance for years, Maria found a "passion project" in growing potatoes, taking her produce to farmers markets and quickly gaining a loyal following.
"It has been a whirlwind and I haven't really had time to come up for air to be honest!" she says. "Maybe when this is all over, we will be able to take stock but for now, we are focusing on our crops."
The couple took over David's family farm in 2007, which instantly brought with it many challenges. "From the year David took over things went into decline for us. Most of it was out of our control. The weather has got really weird in the last few years. The seasons aren't defined anymore."
Maria could see them heading into debt with lower prices and mounting rent bills, diesel and wages. "To manage my anxiety and stress I needed something positive to focus on."
She asked David to buy some Purple Violetta potato seed after a vegetable grower asked her "why don't you grow for chefs instead of shops?" Since then, the farm has gone from strength to strength.
When Covid-19 restrictions hit, Ballymakenny Farm Potatoes moved from supplying restaurants nationwide to needing to think outside the box, like many businesses.
Their way of reaching customers? The Spud Shack, a drive-through shop where they sell their premiums potatoes, many of which are used in some of the countries top restaurants and cafés including Michael's and Two Boys Brew.
The dainty shack, made from a repurposed shed, is packed full of their produce and has been a hit with locals since day one, Maria says, and in many ways is the silver lining to the otherwise challenging pandemic.
She said that she had no option but to re-invent herself when the pandemic hit, as she relied so much on the restaurant industry. It also afforded her the opportunity to re-connect with local customers as they drove to her yard to collect their orders.
Their varieties are the stuff of legend in food circles. In addition to the classic spud, Ballymakenny Farm specialises in growing varieties of potato, including Purple Violetta, Pink Fir Apple, and Red Emmalie Potatoes.
You don't have to be a café regular or top chef to try them, though. The couple also ship produce out to customers, so you can make your own purple potato salad, pink wedges and more!
Mark makes use of Maria's Pink Fir potatoes in his demonstration of how to make the perfect steak – the ideal dish for anyone missing date night or dining out with friends in your favourite restaurant. He shows his technique for roasting potatoes, seasoning with polenta for a crispy finish.
For the steak, Mark chooses the rib-eye cut, which has a marbled texture to ensure plenty of flavour throughout the meat. He recommends cooking your steak from room-temperature as you get a more thorough cook throughout your steak.
Things heat up as he cooks up a home-made pepper sauce, with the brandy igniting as it hits the pan – so be careful if you are trying this one at home! He finishes off with a side of tender-stemmed broccoli in almond butter.
Watch Cook-In with Mark Moriarty on Wednesday at 8:30pm on RTÉ One.
