St. Patrick’s Day Recipe Ideas

Here are several favorites just in time to serve this week for St. Patrick's Day!

BEER AND WHITE CHEDDAR FONDUE WITH SMOKED SAUSAGE, PICKLES, APPLES, CAULIFLOWER AND RYE BREAD DIPPERS

3 cups grated medium sharp cheddar cheese            Serves 4 to 6.

2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

2 T. flour

12 oz. lager beer (like Karl Strauss Amber Lager)

2 T. spicy brown mustard (like Guldens)

A few drops Tabasco

A few drops Worcestershire

Dippers:  Smoked Sausage (Kielbasa, cut across into 1-inch pieces and roasted for 8 to 10 minutes on parchment at 375 degrees), Mini-Gherkin Pickles, Apple Slices, Cauliflower florets (Briefly blanched in boiling water and cooled), and Rye Bread chunks

1. Toss cheese and flour together in a large bowl.  Bring beer to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add cheese by the handful, stirring until each handful melts before adding more cheese.  When cheese is all incorporated, stir in the mustard, hot sauce and Worcestershire and heat another minute or so—but do not boil.  Transfer fondue to a fondue pot and keep warm.

2. Offer all the dippers arranged on platters to guests and let them dip into the fondue and enjoy!

COLCANNON                                  Serves 6.

4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled 

1 cup chopped onion 

12 T. unsalted butter, divided use   

 Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup or more half and half                  

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 lbs. green cabbage, sliced in shreds  

1. Quarter potatoes and place in a large pot of cold water.  Bring to a boil, add 1 T. salt and then simmer until potatoes are tender.  Put through a ricer and stir in 3 T. butter and enough hot half and half to make creamy potatoes.

2. Meanwhile, sauté the cabbage and onion in 3 T. butter until tender.  Stir into hot potatoes.  Stir in green onions and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve hot, pressing an indentation in the center and adding a large dollop of butter.  

CORNED BEEF WITH A MUSTARD BROWN SUGAR GLAZE    

4 lbs. corned beef brisket                                          Serves 6 to 8.

Seasoning packet from corned beef

1 gallon water or as needed

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup brown mustard

1. Rinse off the brisket under running water, and then trim off excess fat. Place the meat and enough water to cover it in a stock pot; add the seasonings from the package and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so the water simmers gently. 

2. Cook until very tender but not falling apart, about 3 hours. About every half hour, skim the fat from the water's surface with a large spoon and discard. Add more water as needed to keep the brisket submerged. 

3. Test the cooked meat for tenderness by piercing the meat with a meat fork. It should meet only slight resistance. Remove the meat and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a sauce pot, combine the sugar and water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. When the mixture has turned syrupy, after about 5 minutes, stir in the mustard. Continue simmering another 2 to 3 minutes.  Paint a thin coating of glaze over the entire brisket. Put in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, reglazing every 10 minutes. Remove the brisket when the glaze is shiny, and let it rest for 15 minutes. Use a sharp slicing knife to carve thin slices and serve.