St. Patrick's Day Feast: Five Must-Have Recipes - Other Holidays & Parties - Cooking

St. Patrick’s Day Feast: 5 Must-Have Recipes

No Comments | Written on March 8, 2012 at 3:00 pm, by The Editors

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St. Patrick’s Day is a great excuse to entertain—it’s a convivial holiday, and most people are in the mood to celebrate. But don’t rely on leprechaun hats and shamrock tablecloths to jump-start the party. Instead, wow your guests with an amazing Irish-themed meal.

Start with a light-but-creamy potato soup, made easy with ready-made chicken stock, then move on to the main course: corned beef and cabbage, natch. Our version surrounds the thick, juicy hunks of corned beef with buttery cabbage and vegetables, including tender little new potatoes. Soda bread warm from the oven and slathered with sweet-cream butter rounds out the entrée.

Then it’s on to our Irish-coffee-themed dessert course: decadent Irish Cream brownies with a sweet chocolate glaze and a steaming cup of Irish coffee, made with good whiskey, hot black coffee, and topped off with a dollop of lightly whipped cream. There. Aren’t you glad you skipped the bar scene and stayed in?

Creamy Irish Potato Soup

Spark your guests’ appetites with this silky potato soup. Though it’s very easy to put together, it’s surprisingly flavorful. The deep earthy notes of potato are balanced by mellow butter and milk.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

This is the star of your St. Patty’s Day show, and it’s definitely not going to disappoint. The corned beef is tender and juicy with just enough spice, and the cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and rutabaga make this a full meal.

Irish Soda Bread

You need something to mop up those deliciously savory juices from the corned beef and cabbage, and Irish soda bread does the trick nicely. It has a unique texture—hearty, yet the crumb is tender. Pair it with sweet-cream butter for maximum effect.

Irish-Coffee Brownies

No one says no to a homemade brownie, and these little treats have an added bonus: Irish whiskey. Yep, you get the flavor of an Irish coffee in every rich, chocolatey bite.

Classic Irish Coffee

Once the dinner plates have been cleared and you’ve set out the Irish-coffee brownies, it’s time for the real thing. The combination of the rich, caramel notes of whiskey mellow the acidic bite of the coffee, and the cloud of whipped cream marries the two flavors beautifully.