Mulligans is Worth the Drive

Scotch eggs are served at handful of places in town, but are still pretty hard to find, much less in the suburb of Franklin. But the dish is served at Mulligans Irish Pub & Grill (8933 S. 27th St.), located at the southern edge of the county.

The restaurant’s exterior style is dictated by its suburban address. And, of course, the flag of Ireland prominently flies on either side of the front door. Inside is nothing unique or extraordinary: it’s your basic wooden tables and chairs, with wide-screen TVs on every wall to view whatever sport is in season. But what does stand out are the very Celtic dishes found on their various menus, including Scotch eggs (hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage and breadcrumbs then deep fried, served with spicy brown mustard) for $4.95 on their seasonal menu. So, of course, I had to have one with the house salad, washed down with a Guinness for $3.50.

My date ordered a Guinness, too, and the Irish stew for $12.95 made with braised lamb shank, potatoes, carrots, onions and parsnips. Naturally I had to have a few spoonfuls. It’s rich, dense and savory, and the lamb is succulently tender. I must admit they make it better than I do (not to brag, but that’s hard to do)!

Other Irish offerings on the menu ranging in price from $10.95 to $12.95 are Corned Beef & Cabbage (thickly cut corned beef with shredded cabbage and colcannon mashed potatoes served with creamy horseradish sauce), Fish & Chips (beer-battered haddock, lightly fried and served with thickly cut fries, house slaw and tartar sauce), Shepherd’s Pie (ground beef sautéed with parsnips, carrots, peas, celery and onions topped with colcannon mashed potatoes served with Irish brown bread – actually, when made with ground beef and not ground lamb, it’s supposed to be called “cottage pie”), a vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie (with mushrooms, parsnips, carrots, peas, celery and onions, topped with colcannon mashed potatoes and served with Irish-stout bread), and Guinness Braised Beef Stew (chunks of black angus beef, carrots, onions, baby red potatoes, and mushrooms, slowly braised with Guinness and served in a bread bowl). Yum!

A few of the appetizers look intriguing – for $9.45 (that’s not a typo), “Irish Nachos” are thick-cut pub chips topped with Irish Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, pico de gallo (a spicy Mexican salad-salsa normally made from diced tomatoes, white onions, serrano chilies, lime juice and cilantro), scallions, black olives, jalapeños and one’s choice of ground beef, rotisserie chicken or corned beef.

While a classic Caesar salad can be had for $8.95, among the other salad offerings is an “Irish Farmhouse Salad” with mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, red onion, fresh mushrooms and Irish Cheddar cheese for $7.95.

There is also a pizza menu which has a few classics, like Margherita, but you can also order a “Reuben Pizza” topped with shredded corned beef, Swiss cheese, shredded cabbage and Thousand Island sauce. A 12-inch costs $12.95 and the 16-inch costs $16.95.

There is a limited number of quality desserts offered, like Bailey’s® Irish Cream Crème Brulée and Bread Pudding with a caramel Jameson® sauce, each for $4.95.

I live quite far away on the opposite side of the metro area, but I think the menu choices and the great service at Mulligans are worth the drive to Franklin!

Mulligans Irish Pub & Grill – http://www.mulliganson27th.com/
8933 S. 27^th Street, Franklin, WI
Tel.: (414) 304-0300
Major credit cards accepted – no reservations needed most days.

Recipe for Scotch Eggs – serves two

Ingredients:
4 medium or 6 small hard-boiled eggs
1 pound pork or turkey sausage meat
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
¾ cup fine breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Preparation:

Fill deep fryer or a medium-sized saucepan about ¾ of the way up with oil and heat to between 325° F. and 350° F. Peel eggs and set aside. Divide sausage meat into as many equal portions as you have eggs. Roll each egg in flour (optional – see notes below) and mold a portion of the sausage around each egg. Dip each sausage-wrapped egg into the beaten eggs, then roll in breadcrumbs.

Cook each egg in oil about 6 – 10 minutes, or until dark brown in color. Drain on paper toweling.

Notes:
If you’re a health freak like me, use egg substitutes (like Egg Beaters) to dip them in before coating with the breadcrumbs. I use really lean turkey sausage (mild Italian flavored) in this recipe and it tastes super! The last time I made these, I forgot to roll the eggs in the flour before coating them with the sausage, and it worked out fine (so you can omit the messy flour, if you prefer).

I have found that some restaurants, like Mulligans and Water Street Brewery, serve these cut in half because the chefs want to take a look inside to be sure the sausage is cooked all the way through before they send them out to the table. To avoid having to cut them to see if they’re cooked all the way through, just pop them in the microwave for one minute on “high” after you’re finished frying them all up. That way, you can be sure that they’re fully cooked and serve them intact to your guests! Serve with spicy brown mustard and HP sauce on the side (for dipping). These go great with chips, “mushies” (mushy marrowfat peas) and a pint (or two) of Guinness or a good Scottish ale, like Belhaven!

Ith gu leòir!