Top of the mornin’, Badgers! St. Patrick’s Day is coming up soon on Tuesday, March 17 — notoriously one of the biggest holidays on college campuses for the sole reason of being an excuse to get drunk (but it’s different, because you’re wearing green).
By all means, head to Saturday’s bar crawl, throw on that shamrock necklace and down that green beer. But if you want to be truly Irish, you’ll also need to celebrate with some corned beef and cabbage. Celebrate St. Paddy’s like a real Irishman and try out these traditional recipes on Tuesday.
Corned Beef
It’s not an Irish feast without the staple dish: corned beef. This is a salt cured beef that, when cooked properly, is tender enough to fall apart on your fork. The easiest way to make it is by grabbing flat cut corned beef and tossing it in a slow cooker along with the seasoning it comes with, beef broth and optional vegetables like carrots, onions and potatoes. Cook on low for about 8 hours, adding the veggies halfway through. If you don’t have a slow cooker, boiling works too and doesn’t take quite as long.
Potatoes
Perhaps the most Irish food of all, no St. Patrick’s Day meal counts unless potatoes are involved. While you may choose to boil them with your corned beef, I prefer my potatoes mashed with lots of butter, salt and pepper. If you’re skeptical about trying anything on this list, take comfort in knowing that the trusty potato is on your side.
Cabbage and carrots
Don’t knock it till you try it! Cabbage gets a bad rap, but is a nonnegotiable for St. Paddy’s Day dinner. When served with cooked carrots, boiled cabbage is a perfect compliment to the corned beef and potatoes on your plate.
Irish soda bread
My personal favorite dish on the St. Patrick’s plate is the traditional Irish soda bread. This dense bread can be made with or without currants (I use raisins) and is best served warm with heaping pads of Kerrygold Irish butter.
Guinness
No Irish meal is complete without a cold glass of Guinness to wash it down. Best served in a chilled pint glass (with the Guinness logo, of course) this creamy, velvety stout almost tastes like a hoppy, malty coffee. Don’t forget to split the G!
