ELL, IT LOOKS AS THOUGH this site’s only truly faithful reader, a certain Southern-food-loving Irishman, has taken the grand prize. (The second- and third-place donors will receive a Mason jar of my homemade lard, perhaps.) I thought about using Rollo’s generous contribution to make a dozen Sunrise-style chicken biscuits, or to procure some of a very powerful substance popular in the South, but I decided instead to explore Rollo’s roots in Northern Ireland. It was time to try an Ulster Fry.
The only component of an Ulster Fry requiring anything more complicated than frying is the soda bread, which is prepared and then quartered, assuming I’ve understood this correctly, into “farls.” For this charming little disappointment you’ll need flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, buttermilk, and a recipe, because I can’t be trusted to explain anything baking-related.
I jest slightly when I call this soda bread a disappointment. It doesn’t hold a candle to Southern biscuits or even English muffins, but it’s got an intriguingly dry, crumbly, dungeon-rations quality to it.
I should note that each “farl” separates easily into two flatbreads, and would be great for some kind of Irish-themed breakfast sandwich. I’m not sure how you’d get all the other ingredients into it, though. You need fried eggs, bacon, sausages, and mushrooms, as well as—ah, hell, I guess that wouldn’t be so tricky at all. I’m just ashamed I didn’t think of it sooner.
Serve with milk, orange juice, and Black Bush, in separate glasses if possible.
