Whether you're already hip to the unctuous allure of offal or just a curious newcomer, this month’s Farm Feast at Iron & Grass in Hudson is an opportunity to dive deep into the rich history and versatility of cooking with organ meats.
In line with Chef Mark Fredette’s minimalist approach in the kitchen—honed during his years heading up the kitchens at Sprout Creek Farm and the much-loved Clermont Café at Tousey Winery—the Farm Feast dinner on January 19 will feature a menu of offal dishes from local, sustainable farms known for their grass-fed and grass-finished beef. “My cooking style is very simple and straightforward,” Fredette says. “I use few ingredients, but of the best quality, and let them speak for themselves.”
In partnership with Dirty Dog Farm in Germantown, Iron & Grass’s Farm Feast dinner series kicked off last fall as a way for Fredette to showcase the range of high-quality ingredients available from the farms he sources from, which are often located just a few miles from the restaurant.
“Dirty Dog Farm got their start in the area around the same time we did,” says Fredette. “I drive by their farm every morning. Being able to work so closely with them to source our beef has strengthened the farmer-chef relationship, and that’s really what you hope for with farm-to-table dining.”
In addition to Dirty Dog Farm’s beef liver and heart, the Farm Feast dinner will also include beef spleen from Grimaldi Farms in Ghent, beef tongue sourced from a few farms combined, and possibly even bull's testicles. Among the dishes offered will be aged beef tongue carpaccio, aged beef tongue, beef heart tartare, and Middle Eastern-style spiced, grain-stuffed roasted spleen. “We’re not going to make anything hard to eat,” he says. “We’re looking to the cultures where people enjoy these items as part of their everyday meals for inspiration.”
A wine flight curated for the meal’s flavors will also be available for purchase, and the restaurant’s locally driven beer, cocktail, and wine menus will be on offer a la carte during dinner.
As with the last two Farm Feasts, dinner will be served family-style at communal tables, a setup that Fredette says has been well-received by guests who are looking to make new connections after years of social distancing. “At our Thanksgiving event, people who had never met each other before were making plans to get together again,” says Fredette. “It’s been really rewarding to see these events bear fruit like that.”
Iron & Grass’s Farm Feast No. 3 will take place Thursday, January 19 at 5:30pm. Tickets are $75 per person with a paired wine flight available during dinner for $45. Tickets can be purchased here. Chronogram readers can enjoy a 5% discount on tickets booked by Sunday January 8 at midnight using promo code CHRON5.
