St Patrick’s Day may be universally synonymous as a time for a pint of Guinness, but that’s not for everyone so instead here are some of the best recipes to cook up to celebrate Paddy’s Day.
What is St Patrick’s Day?
St Patrick’s Day takes place on March 17 annually and is a worldwide celebration of Irish culture. As can be gleaned from its title, the day is used as a religious observance to commemorate the anniversary of St Patrick’s death, the patron saint of Ireland.
Given that the holiday occurs during the Christian season of Lent, traditionally Irish families would attend church in the morning and then have their fun in the afternoon by relinquishing their bans on meat, alcohol and other indulging items.
Although currently, St Patrick’s day tends to be driven by consuming as much alcohol as possible, the core custom of having a huge feast remains. Listed below are the five best recipes you can cook up for a delicious St Patrick’s day meal.
Irish Stew
Pull out your slow cooker and be prepared to spend a good ten hours or so on this one! You cannot really go wrong with large chunks of tender braised beef or lamb, soft vegetables, and a thick juicy stock to bring it all together.
Some recipes even add Guinness for an extra punch of flavour. A great side to pair with this is some Irish soda bread, which you can dip into any leftover gravy you have in your bowl.
Colcannon
This is a traditional Irish dish of creamy mash potatoes that has either cabbage or kale mixed into it, and sometimes bacon, too. Colcannon is a versatile carby side that can go with pretty much anything.
I have seen it used in a breakfast dish alongside poached eggs and also in an evening meal similar to a roast dinner. As with any form of potato, colcannon is best served with plenty of butter, although sour cream and horseradish are common, too.
Baileys French Toast
This is perfect for those of you with a sweet tooth (which most definitely includes me) With the Baileys infused into both the bread – by soaking it in a bowl of the mixture for a few minutes – and the custard, this boozy dish could potentially leave you feeling a little buzzed.
However, the strength of the Baileys is pared down by toppings of fluffy whipped cream, fresh fruit, and a drizzling of golden syrup.
Recommended Baileys French Toast Recipe
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Interestingly, although this dish is often considered to be a traditional Irish one, it never actually used to be eaten on St Patrick’s day or in Ireland at all. Instead of beef, pork was the go-to meat. However, during the time of Irish immigration to the USA, pork was expensive meat to buy and many immigrants could not afford it, so they had to make do with boiling beef. Alongside this, cabbage was the cheapest vegetable available for immigrants at the time. Therefore corned beef and cabbage became a St Patrick’s day special accidentally, and rightfully so given how delicious it tastes.
Recommended Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
Anything Green!
Perhaps this one can be a bit of a cop-out, but you cannot go wrong with anything green on St Patrick’s Day.
Not only is the colour linked to Ireland’s verdant landscape, given the country’s nickname of ‘The Emerald Isle’, but also symbolises Irish nationalism, as represented by the green stripe that heads the Irish flag.
Whether you add a few green drops of food colouring to savoury pasta or sweet pancakes, there is always a way to make your food look festive for the Irish holiday.
