Did you know Saint Patrick’s Day is also known as the Feast of Saint Patrick? It only makes sense, then, to feast a bit at home. This year, however, Saint Patrick’s Day falls on a weekday. If the thought of midweek entertaining feels daunting, don’t worry: consider this your lesson in low-effort hosting, whether it’s Saint Patrick’s Day or a run-of-the-mill Wednesday night.
Havenly interior designer Levi Austin shows us how he effortlessly entertains at home, even in a small space. Rather than opt for heavy entree dishes like corned beef or shepherd’s pie, Levi chose easy appetizers with a touch of green (like the peas in his pea and mint bruschetta) to loosely honor the holiday.
What’s more, these simple recipes are easy to enjoy casually on your couch — a must when you’ve got a studio or small space without a dining room. Given the holiday, we’d suggest pairing these salty, savory apps with a good Irish whiskey (note Levi’s genius use of wall space to create a bar area without sacrificing square footage!).
Source: Bon Appetit magazine
Pro tip: Save ingredients by buying pizza dough from your favorite grocer. With this method, skip straight to step 2.
Ingredients
- 6¼ cups (780 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or 1 Tbsp. Morton Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tbsp. Cold Unsalted Butter, Plus 3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, Melted
- 2 tbsp. vegetable or other neutral oil
- 2 tbsp. baking soda
- Pretzel salt or flaky sea salt
Directions
Step 1
Whisk flour, kosher salt, and yeast in a large bowl until well combined. Gradually add 3½ cups warm water a few big splashes at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon to incorporate, until a thick batter forms. Continue to stir aggressively for a minute or so to get any lumps out. Cover bowl and chill at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.
Step 2
Grease an 18×13″ sheet pan generously with 1 Tbsp. cold butter, making sure every corner and side is covered. Drizzle oil onto pan and spread with your hands until every surface is covered.
Step 3
Using a rubber spatula or plastic bench scraper, turn dough out onto sheet pan. Using your hands, gently spread dough in an even layer to edges of pan.
Step 4
Place baking soda in a small bowl or mug and slowly pour ½ cup boiling water over, stirring to combine with a pastry brush. (Heads up: It’ll get foamy!) Generously brush entire surface of dough with baking soda solution; set aside remaining baking soda solution. Let dough rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, bubbly, and loose-feeling, which can take anywhere between 30 minutes to over 1 hour, depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the season.
Step 5
Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 475°. Gently brush dough with reserved baking soda solution (you may not use it all). Bake 10 minutes. Rotate pan from front to back and brush focaccia with 3 Tbsp. melted butter; sprinkle generously with pretzel salt. Continue to bake until top is deeply browned (like a pretzel!) and underside looks browned and crispy when pried up with a spatula, about 10 minutes longer.
Step 6
Let cool slightly. Using a fish spatula or other flexible metal spatula, release focaccia from pan and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
Source: Adaptation of Danny Meyer’s sugar snap pea salad
Ingredients
- 1 loaf ciabatta or baguette
- Olive oil
- 16 oz. frozen peas
- 6 sprigs mint
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano
- Kosher salt
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bread into 1/3” slices on a bias. Drizzle bread with oil and toss to coat, ensuring cut in half crosswise. Place sliced bread on a baking rack and in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the bread is crisp and lightly golden.
Step 2
Place frozen peas in a microwave safe container with 2 Tbsp. water and a generous pinch of kosher salt. Microwave for 2-3 minutes or until peas are bright green.
Step 3
Pick the leaves of the mint and place into a food processor. Add zest of whole lemon and grated pecorino cheese.
Step 4
Pulse until all of the ingredients are well combined, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5
Spoon the pea mixture onto the crisp bread slices, about 1 tablespoon per slice.
Step 6
Top with freshly grated pecorino cheese, and enjoy!
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