10 Authentic Irish Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day

As St. Patrick’s Day approaches I love digging through Irish family recipes and those collected while traveling in Ireland for some authentic inspiration.  Ironically many of the foods we are familiar with in the U.S., such as Corned Beef and Cabbage or green beer, is something adapted in the U.S. and isn’t typically eaten for St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland.

The main thing I love about true Irish recipes is that they are honest, simple and often rustic.  The type of soul-warming food that is at the heart of the most satisfying comfort food.  The food is easy to prepare, never fussy and doesn’t demand slaving over the stove.   My friends in Ireland would rather linger over a pint, laughing with friends and family at a pub, than over hours of meal preparation anyway!

I’ve pulled together a collection of real Irish recipes for you to consider both for St. Patrick’s Day as well as for everyday meals.  Some are from Boulder Locavore and come with anecdotes of my experiences of Ireland.  Others I’ve gathered from authentic Irish sources I think you’ll love!  I also found a great article from Irish Culture and Customs about St. Patrick’s Day I think you’ll enjoy reading if, like me, you enjoy a bit of background on true holiday roots and customs.  Be sure to check the end of the post for a few other fun additions!

Savory Cottage Pie: Ground beef, peas, carrots, onions cooked with savory seasonings topped with mashed potatoes and cheese.  Cooked in casserole form it’s great for a crowd.  A dear friend in the UK always rakes the fork over the mashed potatoes on top to look like a thatched roof of a cottage!

Irish Potato Soup: Just what you’d hope it to be; potatoes, onions, stock and milk creating a thick satisfying soup from only a handful of ingredients!

Authentic Irish Coffee:  A definite ‘must’ when in Ireland.  It is sure to take the edge of any cold, damp weather with coffee, Irish Whiskey and a cream float on top.

Irish Potato Champ: Potatoes, butter, scallions, milk.  You’ll never guess the holiday when Champ is usually served!

Authentic Irish Colcannon: Another fantastic spud recipe this time with curly kale along with mashed potatoes and scallions.  Simple ingredients, irresistible recipe.

Dublin Coddle: A warming dish of bacon, sausage, onions and potatoes. I served it with Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread!

More authentic recipes you won’t want to miss:

Boxty (three ways) from The Daily Spud.  Boxty is a traditional potato pancake made with a combination of mashed and grated potato for a lovely texture.

Aoife from The Daily Spud is a Dublin blogger I found quickly after starting Boulder Locavore.  Her blog was very familiar after all my trips to Ireland and I love her recipes for any type of potato you could want.  She kindly wrote a Guest Post for Boulder Locavore about how St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in Ireland.  In parallel I wrote about the antics in my household which were a stark contrast.  I’m convinced any potato recipe you seek can be found on The Daily Spud.

Brambrack  from Edible Ireland.  Brambrack is a traditional yeast bread with raisins and sultanas.

Irish Stew.  No list would be complete without a recipe, or two in this case, for Irish Stew. Donal Skehan is a well-known Irish cookbook author and TV personae.  He periodically makes appearances on the Today Show and you may have seen him there.  His website is full of Irish recipes and gorgeous photography.  His recipe of Angie’s Skehan Family Irish Stew looks fantastic, as does Edible Ireland’s Beef and Irish Stout Stew.

Despite the earlier caveat about Corned Beef and Cabbage NOT being authentic St. Patrick’s Day food, I’ll insert my Slow Cooker Beer-Simmered Corned Beef and Vegetables recipe for those who  want to make it!

Here’s more on the whole-lotta-crazy in the Boulder Locavore house for St. Patrick’s Day!

Need some gluten-free St. Patrick’s Day recipe ideas?  Gottcha covered.  Also for non-traditional but still completely delicious food and drink recipes this St. Patrick’s Day recipe collection will be something you’ll want to see.

If you are interested in Irish food, there is no more authentic cookbook than Irish Country Cooking from the Irishwomen’s Association.  I did a cookbook review when it first came out and was instantly in love with the contributor’s short bio’s and of course the authentic recipes.  It’s really a treasure.  Don’t miss this Black Forest Gateau recipe either!

Black Forest Gateau {Irish Country Cooking}. Photo credit: Sterling Epicure.