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Over 31 million Americans claim some Irish ancestry, and while St. Patrick’s Day is a celebrated holiday in Ireland, it’s actually celebrated on a larger scale in the U.S. The day celebrates St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who lived and died in the 5th century. The holiday has an inclusive feel about it, a sense that you don’t need to be Irish to celebrate. In fact, the holiday has been embraced as a moment to be heritage-proud, and there is a popular saying “everyone’s a little Irish on St. Patty’s Day.”
And of course, when there is a cultural/national holiday, there are always the foods that go with it. Right now, in the supermarkets, you can find many of the Irish staple foods, such as cabbages, potatoes, and corned beef, piled high and often on sale. I’m not Irish but I know a good holiday — and a great food holiday — when I see it. Here is a smattering of delicious recipes geared toward St. Patrick’s Day, or any time you have a yearning for any one of these Irish classics.
Traditional St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
These are but a few of the greatest hits — Irish Soda Bread is so easy to pull together, no yeast, no kneading, these flaky scones would be perfect for breakfast or maybe a little tea break later in the day, and you can’t go wrong with Shepherd’s Pie or Corned Beef and Cabbage for dinner (especially this version, which is made in a slow cooker). And speaking of cabbage, that’s kind of a non-negotiable St. Patrick’s Day offering, but you have many choices of how to prepare this versatile, inexpensive, hardy, and downright delicious vegetable.
Can’t decide? Me neither. So I may have to work my way through the list over the next week.