St. Patrick's Day Dinner

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Soda Bread and More!

Feb 28, 2007
Diane Laney Fitzpatrick

The traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner on March 17 takes on a new twist with flavorful Cabbage and Bacon and Potato Boxty with Applesauce.

If you’re Irish, you’re going to want to spread the joy on St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t keep those traditions to yourself! Chances are you have some friends who have never had corned beef and cabbage, let alone on the luckiest day of the year.

Here is a traditional sit-down dinner for eight, steeped in Irish ethnicity but simple enough to serve to company on a busy March 17.

Glazed Corned Beef

4-5 pound corned beef
½ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
½ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup brown sugar
Dash of ground cloves

Place corned beef in a large pot. Barely cover with water. Add onion, garlic and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 3-4 hours. Remove meat from pot. Spread mustard onto the fatty side of the corned beef. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cloves. Bake in a roaster at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Potato Boxty

2 cups raw, grated potatoes
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
½ cup milk

Squeeze the grated raw potatoes in a cloth to remove as much moisture as possible. Sift the flour with the salt and baking powder. Mix grated potatoes and mashed potatoes with the dry ingredients and add the beaten eggs. Mix well, and add just enough milk to make a batter. (It may be less than ½ cup.)

Drop batter by tablespoonful onto a hot buttered frying pan and cook over moderate heat until browned (about 4 minutes per side). Serve hot with applesauce on the side.

Cabbage and Bacon

2 pounds bacon
2 large cabbages
1 can chicken broth

Cut cabbages in half and boil in salted water for 15 minutes. Remove from boiling water. Soak in cold water for about a minute. Drain well and slice. Line the bottom of a roasting pan or casserole dish with 1 pound of bacon. Place sliced cabbage on top and sprinkle with pepper. Add enough chicken broth to barely cover cabbage and place another pound of bacon slices on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour.

Irish Soda Bread

2 cups flour
1½ cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups raisin
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 eggs slightly beaten
½ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter

Mix all dry ingredients. Add raisins and caraway seeds and mix well to coat raisins. Fold in eggs, buttermilk and melted butter. Knead for a few minutes and shape into a round. Cut an X on top and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes.

Tips:

For an easier dinner, put the corned beef, potato quarters and cabbage wedges all in a large crock pot and cook on high for 6 hours or more.
Irish Coffee isn’t simply coffee with whiskey. According to Michael Collins, a 28-year veteran bartender at Shannon Airport in Ireland, the drink was invented there to warm up travelers who were arriving from America into Shannon on cold dreary days. His recipe for Irish Coffee: Steam-heat a whiskey goblet. Pour in 1 shot of whiskey. Add 3 sugar cubes. Add black coffee to within 1 inch of the brim and stir. Fill to brim with heavy cream that’s been slightly aerated.
For more Irish recipes, see Ireland’s Eye and Suite 101's Irish Side Dishes and Desserts.