For St. Patty’s Day, There’s More Than Corned Beef and Cabbage
Are you looking for St. Patrick’s Day foods that are easy to make and not the typical corned beef and cabbage? Here are some of the most classic and delicious Irish recipes to try out when you celebrate your heritage, from memory care specialists in South Jersey.
Irish stew
Unlike corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew is actually Irish! It’s easy to make – especially if you have a slow cooker – utterly delicious, and perfect when the weather’s still a bit nippy outside. You can substitute the lamb for a chuck roast if you prefer, but all the rest of the ingredients are easy to find and seasonal too. Originally a peasant dish, the recipe dates all the way back to 1800 and uses widely available ingredients and cheaper cuts of meat that are ideal for slow cooking. It’s tender, nutritious, and hearty – and you won’t be able to stop yourself from going back for seconds.
Irish Fifteens
For anyone with a sweet tooth, no-bake Irish Fifteens are a favorite! They’re a great option for dessert or with coffee, and the grandkids can help make them too. They’re called fifteens because they need fifteen of each ingredient, which includes graham crackers, marshmallows, glace cherries, condensed milk, and desiccated coconut. You can also add in additional sweets like chocolate chips or Maltesers – British malted milk candies that have recently made their way to the U.S.!
Potato cakes/Potato Farl
It doesn’t get more traditional than this Irish recipe for potato farl, the perfect side dish to any breakfast fry up or toasted for snack time. It’s a common food in any Irish supermarket but it’s also easy to make at home, which makes it perfect for St. Paddy’s celebrations in the USA. This potato bread is cut into triangles and baked, which is where it gets its name – in Irish, farl is any triangular baked product. Using cooked potatoes, salt, butter, and flour, this simple bread is light, fluffy, and tasty, especially when finished off on a griddle or frying pan.
Irish champ
Another wonderful traditional Irish food for St. Patrick’s Day is Irish champ. It’s a great side dish for family dinners and a wonderful crowd-pleaser for kids and adults alike. Made with mashed potatoes, milk, cheese, butter, and young green scallions, it’s rich, filling, creamy, and delicious as well as easy to make! Potato dishes are integral to many different Irish recipes, dating back to the English conquest of Ireland. The conquest impoverished the country and made potatoes one of the only food steadily available for common folks to eat. Despite this sobering history, dishes like Irish champ show just how wonderful the humble potato can be.
Irish soda bread
Soda bread is a no-yeast bread that is quick and easy to make, so you can enjoy freshly baked bread every day – even on St. Patrick’s Day! It’s the perfect staple for sandwiches, breakfast fry-ups, and soups, and it has a dense, soft inside with a deliciously crisp and crunchy crust. It’s made with cold butter, buttermilk, flour, egg, baking soda, and a little salt, giving it a crumbly, flaky texture and a uniquely flavorful taste.
Yellow man
Yellow man is another fun Irish recipe that’s great for kids (and adults!) to make and enjoy. This sweet treat is essentially a honeycomb made by mixing butter, syrup, or honey and sugar with baking soda and vinegar. This creates a mix of bubbling sugary foam that sets to a hard candy you then break up with a hammer once it’s completely cooled. A delicious and affordable sweet snack that melts on your tongue, yellow man can be stored in an airtight container away from moisture for up to one month, after which it becomes chewier rather than melt-in-the-mouth.
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