Irish Dinner

These crisp, light fritters taste like nothing but fresh lobster and sweet corn.

Cathal Armstrong loves salmon, especially because he grew up eating it on special occasions. He likes to pan-fry the fish fillets, then top them with an intense citrus vinaigrette made from a combination of fresh orange, lemon and lime juices.

This lemon-scented herb salt makes a great seasoning for everything from roasted white fish to grilled chicken and pork to steamed vegetables—and of course, any kind of potato. Grinding the sage, rosemary and thyme into the salt, rather than just stirring it in, helps intensify and meld the flavors.

Cathal Armstrong’s family always celebrated the end of Lent with lamb, and preparing the meal became an all-day event that left the adults “snoring on the couch.” Cathal’s preparation for lamb nowadays isn’t exhausting at all: He rubs the loins with herbs, garlic and shallots, then ties them up, sears them and finishes them in the oven. The result is succulent, delicately flavored meat.

When chef Cathal Armstrong goes home to his native Ireland, he uses local ingredients to make a homecoming feast.

Even though this bread is dense, hearty and complex-tasting, it requires no yeast and therefore no rising time. Cathal says he likes it best “fresh from the oven and with lots of Kerrygold butter.”

Cathal Armstrong tells of how a family friend came over for lunch one day and marveled at the apple pie his mother, Angela, had made. When her husband, Gerry, asserted that it must have been the apples he grew that made the pie taste so good, the friend said, “Angela, you tell him pastry like that doesn’t grow on trees.” Since puff pastry can be tricky to prepare, this version of Angela’s pie uses a high-quality, store-bought puff pastry.