15 St. Patrick’s Day Recipes Perfect to Pair with Beer

Many of us make a special meal of corned beef and cabbage to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and break out the Guinness to go along. But there are lots more ways to celebrate the Irish-American holiday through food and drink. Look to other traditional Irish dishes, and consider St. Paddy’s cocktails, or pick a pale ale and dye it green with all-natural ingredients.

Or stick to the stout, and pair it with these perfect St. Patrick’s Day recipes—sometimes, the Guinness even makes it into the food itself.

1. Slow Cooker Poached Salmon

The Irish love to poach their salmon. You’ll find this staple alongside a beer all over the pubs on the Emerald Isle. This version allows you to get the fish cooking while you work on other, more labor-intensive, cooking items. A good mustard sauce, herbed butter sauce, or a basic aioli would make great toppers for this fish native to the waters surrounding the island. Get our Slow Cooker Poached Salmon recipe.

Related Reading: The Ultimate Guide to Types of Salmon

2. Kohlrabi-Topped Shepherd’s Pie

Besides the fact that the topping is kohlrabi instead of potatoes, it’s a pretty traditional shepherd’s pie underneath. The Americanized version uses ground beef, but this recipe keeps it real with ground lamb. Hence the name, right? So Irish. Get our Kohlrabi-Topped Shepherd’s Pie recipe.

3. Fish and Chips

Seriously, England doesn’t have the monopoly on fish and chips. Ireland is right there too, with all those lovely chippers servings up chips (French fries to Americans) and battered, fried white fish. It’s the perfect thing to soak up the alcohol, Guinness or otherwise. Get our Fish and Chips recipe.

4. Guinness Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Beer desserts are next-level, and this one lets you have your Guinness and eat it too. The hearty and sweet Bundt cake is given depth by not only the oatmeal-y stout, but by molasses, brown sugar, warming spices, and crystallized ginger as well. The salted-caramel drizzle sends this cake’s deliciousness over the top. Drink while you make it, drink as you share it and eat it. Get our Guinness Gingerbread Bundt Cake recipe.

5. Colcannon

This take on traditional Irish colcannon has chunky mashed potatoes and lots of butter. This recipe is unique in that the potatoes are smashed so that the most surface area can get crispy and caramelized; it also includes a half head of cabbage and fresh parsley. Leftover colcannon makes a great breakfast hash served with eggs, so feel free to make a double batch. Get our Colcannon recipe.

6. Mustardshire Sauce

Mustardshire sauce is the condiment you’ve been missing. Mix one tablespoon mustard powder with one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and you’ve got a perfect sandwich spread that pairs especially well with corned beef. Make sure to let it sit for at least ten minutes to let the flavors meld before using. Get our Mustardshire Sauce recipe.

7. Slow-Cured Corned Beef

This corned beef recipe means business. Slow-cured isn’t a term we use lightly: This 12-day cure brings out the flavor of the beef and is worth the wait. Coriander, allspice berries, garlic, yellow mustard seed, cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, thyme, carrots, and onion make this one flavorful piece of meat. Refrigerate the brined meat for 12 days and be sure to check that the meat is fully submerged so that it stays tender. Get our Slow-Cured Corned Beef recipe.

8. Easy Irish Brown Soda Bread

Chowhound’s recipe for brown soda bread is made with whole-wheat flour and no yeast, so you can assemble it quickly and don’t need to wait for it to rise. With two full cups of buttermilk, this dense, moist bread is best eaten straight out of the oven but does well served for breakfast, toasted with plenty of butter or jam the next morning. Get our Easy Irish Brown Soda Bread recipe.

Related Reading: Is Soda Bread Really Irish?

9. Boxty

Boxty is an amazing Irish take on potato pancakes. Part pancake and part hash brown, this hybrid dish is delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Try it as a blini substitute with caviar or served with eggs for breakfast. The Irish answer to latkes, these potato pancakes pair well with any kind of meat and are also excellent with smoked salmon. Make up a big batch and keep them in the freezer so you can reheat them in the toaster oven for a quick snack. Get our Boxty recipe.

10. Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue

Cheddar and stout fondue is a perfect winter dish that you can make quickly and easily to serve a crowd. The addition of finely chopped onion, and over a cup of Irish stout (we recommend Guinness or Murphy’s), makes this a smooth and flavorful fondue that pairs well with a number of items that you can dip. Cubed Irish soda bread, chicken apple sausage, steamed potatoes, steamed Brussels sprouts, and apples are all good choices. Get the Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue recipe.

11. Dublin Coddle

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This old-fashioned dish is simple to assemble in one pot and is a hands-off recipe that is easy to start on a Sunday afternoon. After grilling the bacon and the sausages, layer them with the onions and potatoes in an ovenproof casserole dish and cover with hot water. Then bake in the oven for between three and five hours and you will have an amazing meal. Serve with bread to sop up the gravy. Get the Dublin Coddle recipe.

12. Honey Mustard

Honey mustard is one of everyone’s favorite sauces. This version has mustard powder, apple cider vinegar, honey, and kosher salt mixed together for a smooth sauce that is just as good on a corned beef sandwich as it is on a pretzel. Make up a double batch and store it in the fridge for a week—it’s also great on chicken fingers. Get our Honey Mustard recipe.

13. Bakewell Tart

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There are many variations on the Bakewell tart, and this recipe is a delightful combination of tart and pudding. The filling is a simple custard made up of eggs, butter, flour, and sugar, poured into a flaky pastry crust. If you’re in a rush you can substitute store-brought puff pastry, and feel free to try any type of jam that suits your fancy. Get the Bakewell Tart recipe.

14. Scallion Champ

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Champ is a simple comfort food that is a great side dish, and easy to prepare ahead of time. A whole bunch of scallions (including green and white parts) make this a flavorful take on mashed potatoes. For a classic variation, try this recipe from Darina Allen (famed proprietor of Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland). For something a bit more modern, add some creamy Gorgonzola. Either way, this is a perfect side dish for corned beef and can be repurposed with eggs over easy the next morning. Get the Scallion Champ recipe.

15. Spicy Mustardaise

This is a quick and easy condiment that combines mayonnaise, mustard powder, apple cider vinegar, kosher salt, and minced, pickled jalapeño. It packs a kick and is a tangy addition to any sandwich. It pairs especially well with ham and corned beef (or even roast beef). Make sure to let the mixture meld for at least ten minutes before using, to maximize flavor. Get our Spicy Mustardaise recipe.

Visit Chowhound’s St. Patrick’s Day headquarters for more Irish food intel and recipe ideas.

Related Video: How to Pour the Perfect Pint of Guinness from a Can

— Original article by Caitlin M. O’Shaughnessy (2015); updated article by Amy Sowder.

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