trailer food diaries
You say potato, I say pierogi: An Irish nod to food trucks during St. Patty’s
Hill Country Pierogi
Fresh off the Truck's Korokke Japanese potato croquettes.
When I think of ‘Irish’ food visions of dark beer and soda bread come to mind. While we may not have much representation of corned beef and cabbage in the Austin trailer food scene, we do have trailers offering nods to St. Patrick’s Day. Call it a stretch, but I found some potato-based trailer fare in remembrance of the potato famine that plagued Ireland. In Austin we may not be dying Lady Bird Lake green, but we know how to celebrate an authentic Irish holiday that lifts the vows of Lent with some quintessential street food.
Hill Country Pierogi (1154 Lydia Street)
A pie-what? Pronounced, per-OH-ghee, this potato-centric Polish dumpling is what food truck owner Brittany Lukowsky was raised eating. “The Traditional,” in fact, is her great-grandmothers recipe. “It’s just potato, cheese and onion,” Brittany shares, but it has a home-cooked energy that will make you crave it. “I used to spend a lot of time with family in Pennsylvania. We would make tons of pierogi — we’d spend an entire weekend making them and then on Christmas Eve, we would eat them. It was our tradition.” All of her pierogi are stuffed with potato filling and a flavor. The Traditional is their best-seller, with the Bacon coming in at a close second. “We did a pizza pierogi once, and it was such a huge hit it won a spot on our menu,” Brittany says.
Trey’s Cuisine (610 South Lamar Boulevard)
Cowden Ward also offers to-die-for pierogi from his food trailer currently parked on South Lamar. He’s got the “Americanized” which contain Swiss, American, jack and cheddar cheese, or the “Proshooter” version which adds prosciutto.
Fresh off the Truck (5th & Colorado)
Ni howdy! Tova Ng makes her Korokke Japanese potato croquettes for an Asian tip of the hat to our Irish potato patrol this Saint Patrick's Day. The fried potato cakes are nestled on a bed of mixed greens with carmelized onions, scallions, D-sauce (house-made sriracha blend sauce) and katsu sauce. You can add your choice of bacon or grilled onions on top.
Regal Ravioli (1602 East 6th Street)
Jersey-born Zach Adams came to Austin by way of DC and opened his ravioli trailer in East Austin last summer. His potato-based gnocchi, like everything else, are made fresh on the truck with attention to detail. He sources locally when possible and always responsibly.
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And that's what an Asian-inspired pizza looks like.Photo courtesy of Sterrato Italian Specialties