Taste of Tuesday: 5 Delicious Ways to Eat, Drink and Enjoy St. Paddy’s Day

Got your green shirt out?

We all know that St. Patrick’s Day is coming up (Monday, March 17), so you may not have your green garb out already, but it may be a good idea to get your celebratory recipes put into action.

From sweet to savory dishes and a special drink to top it off, we have you covered! Here is a look at food and drink recipes to celebrate the yearly Irish holiday, courtesy of TheKitchn.com:

Food

Red Flannel Hash

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3-4 red potatoes, diced small (I like them with the skins, but you can peel them if you like!)
• 3 beets, peeled and diced small
• 1/2 head cabbage, core removed and thinly sliced
• 4-6 large eggs

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and cook until the onions become soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the potatoes, beets, and another 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir everything together, cover the pan, and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the beets are tender. Don’t worry if the potatoes start to fall apart a little – they are meant to! As you stir, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan every so often to work in the browned bits from the pan.

When the beets are tender, stir in the cabbage. Cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the cabbage is wilted. Give the mash a taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.

At this point, you can serve the mash right away or you can turn down the heat and let it simmer for as long as a half an hour. You can also take the mash off the heat completely and re-heat it when you’re ready to serve.

Five minutes before you’re ready to serve, crack the eggs around the circumference of the pan. Cover the pan and let the eggs poach for 5 minutes for runny yolks or 7 minutes for firm yolks. Scoop onto plates and serve.

*Serves 4-6

Roasted Cabbage with Bacon

Ingredients:

• 1 large head green cabbage, outer leaves removed
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices thick bacon

Heat the oven to 450°F. Cut the cabbage into quarters and slice the bottom of each quarter at an angle to remove the stem core. Cut each quarter in half again so you have eight wedges. Lay these down on a large roasting pan or baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Cut each slice of bacon into small strips and lay on top of the cabbage.

Roast for 30 minutes, flipping the cabbage wedges once halfway through. If the edges aren’t browned enough for your taste after 30 minutes, put them back in for five-minute increments until they are.

Serve immediately; the wedges cool down fast. 

Sweet

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons caraway seeds
• 1 box (15 oz.) golden raisins
• 3/4 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• Coarse or raw sugar for sprinkling over top

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan or skillet that is at least 2 1/2 inches deep.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and caraway seeds. Stir in the raisins until they are well-coated with the flour mixture.

Add the oil to the flour mixture and stir until it is well incorporated.

*Makes one 9-inch round loaf

Real Irish Scones

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup milk, cream, or a combination

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a Silpat in the oven.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Use your fingertips to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture just holds together.

Working the mixture as little as possible, add 1/2 cup milk and mix until it forms into a soft, slightly sticky ball. Add more milk if needed to reach desired consistency.

Place the dough on a very lightly floured work surface. Using a floured rolling pin, gently roll the dough to a 1-inch thick slab. Dip a 1-2-inch biscuit cutter in flour and cut out the individual scones, or slice the dough with a knife of the blade of a bench scraper.

Remove baking tray from the oven and arrange the scones on it. Bake 8 minutes, turn over, and bake another 4 minutes or until just barely brown.

Serve with butter, preserves, and freshly whipped cream.

If you have leftovers, reheat at 350°F for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through, or freeze by wrapping completely cooled scones in plastic wrap, then placing in a zippered bag or freezer-safe storage container. To reheat, thaw at room temperature in the plastic wrap, then unwrap and re-heat as above at 350° F.

*Makes about 8-10 small scones

Drink

Irish Coffee

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of hot, fresh brewed coffee
• 1 teaspoon sugar (a sugar cube is equal to one teaspoon, and you may use brown sugar if you prefer)
• 1 jigger (or 1 1/2 ounces) Irish whisky
• Heavy cream, freshly whipped (see Note below)

Equipment:
Heatproof glass or mug

Pour hot water into your mug or glass to take the chill off. Then pour out the water. This will also prevent your glass from cracking.

Fill your glass about three-quarters high with the coffee and add sugar.

Stir until it is fully dissolved and add Irish whisky.

Top with freshly whipped cream. If using lightly whipped you should pour slowly over a warm spoon onto the coffee being careful not to break the coffee’s surface. This takes some practice. A fool-proof way to not break the surface is to whip the cream a bit more and dollop it gently on top. (Note: Lightly whipped will give you a frothy cream collar on top. If you want to pile the cream high, you’ll need to whip to medium-stiff peaks.)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and don’t forget to check out our go-to celebratory guide Thursday!