Eats — An Un/Traditional St. Patrick’s Day Menu

Corned beef and cabbage are delicious Irish foods, sure, but not very surprising when planning a meal for St. Patrick’s Day. We’ve done some research for you on what else could be tasty and traditional while still being (most likely) new to your kitchen. So get hungry because we have recipes for Crubeens, Colcannon, Boxty and a supreme Chocolate Guinness Cake. And go ahead, make all the jokes you want about potatoes but the truth is that they are yummy and you know it.

Crubeens

Crubeens are pig’s trotters. I know. But the whole nose-to-tail thing is such a valiant effort, and when you think about it, why is it any harder to eat the feet than it is to eat the shoulder? (mmm, pork shoulder…). We hear it’s a bit of a challenge to get to the meat amongst the other bits, but once there, it’ll be well worth the journey. You’ll do it for crabs, lobster and oysters, right? So come on, try a pig’s foot.

This recipe involves a long, flavored boil and then some breading and frying action. Not at all intimidating. So go for it, and let us know how you fare.

Recipe on derekhaines.ch

Colcannon

Colcannon, as it turns out, is a fancy name for mashed potatoes with some veggie in the mix. Easy! Traditionally, the vegetable in question is shredded cabbage or kale, which adds enormous amounts of healthy junk. And, the added nutrients help you rationalize all the butter you put in to make it smooth and sexy.

Recipe on Simplyrecipes.com

Boxty

Call it a hashbrown, call it a latka, either way, call it scrump-diliumptios. A potato shredded and then fried into cakes take succulent stage in several different parts of the world and the Irish version is no less tantalizing.

Recipe on Leitesculinaria.com

Chocolate Guinness Cake

When combining many people’s two favorite ingredients, beer and chocolate, you get a whole other dimension of flavor. It’s strong and complex, familiar yet new. The Smitten Kitchen has a great recipe for a cake with a dark chocolate ganache but we recommend trying it with a Bailey’s cream frosting and keep it conceptual.

Recipe on Smittenkitchen.com

So Go Ahead

Invite your neighbors over for some Irish food to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and try something new. Because corned beef and cabbage has it’s place but so do pig trotters, no?