Serving up a Saint Patrick’s Day Feast for the Whole Family

Imagine my delight when I got an email from my sister. We had been going back and forth trying to work out a date to get together for dinner and cards. Her son plays soccer, and as you soccer moms know, that can be a very full schedule. As luck would have it, her son did not have a game scheduled for March 16th. Did we want to get together for some extended family time? Yes! Absolutely!

After a quick response, my rather slow brain said – wait, March 16th – that’s Saint Patrick’s Day Weekend. The creative light came on. We could do a Saint Patrick’s Day themed supper. Oh, but I already had my menu planned. While my Salmon Saint Patrick’s Day Menu is absolutely delicious, it would not do for my extended family. My sister’s young children are picky eaters under the best of circumstances, as most children are at that age. Color, textures, smells all play an important part in a child’s perception of food. Serving a delicious Irish Roasted Salmon would be out of the questions. Irish Cream Crème Brûlée was another sophisticated dish that might not go over well with children, especially with a hint of Irish Mist in the custard. Hum, there had to be something Irish that everyone could enjoy. We had already established the fact that no one (with the exception of my Dad) was interested in the more traditional Corned Beef Supper. Think . . . think. Roast Beef was once very popular in Ireland as a traditional Sunday Supper. So Roast Beef became my starting point. I am pleased as punch that I manage to keep some of the dishes on Salmon menu such as the Whiskey Carrots, Shamrock Bread and Irish Coffee. The rest of the menu came together with a little research, picking through favorite recipes, and making adjustments to keep that Irish Saint Patrick’s Day Theme going. Hope you like the results.

A Kid-Friendly Irish Supper
Appetizers –
Irish Flag Vegetable Tray
Shamrock Green Deviled Eggs

Main Entrée –
Irish Roast Beef with Stout Gravy
Irish Champ Potatoes
Whiskey Glazed Browned Butter Carrots

Salad and Bread –
Irish Pub Salad with Creamy Dressing
Shamrock Soda Bread

Dessert and Coffee –
Saint Patrick’s Grasshopper Trifle
Irish Coffee with Whipped Cream

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Appetizers

Irish Flag Vegetable Tray
1/2 lb Snow Peas
8 oz Broccoli Florets
16 oz Cauliflower
1 Orange Bell Pepper
8 oz Baby Carrots
Dill Vegetable Dip
Arrange sugar snap peas down half of the side of a rectangular serving platter or casserole dish.

Cut broccoli into bite-size florets. Arrange down the remaining half of the tray with the peas to create a green strip.

Break cauliflower into bite-size florets. Arrange cauliflower down the center of the tray.

Core and seed bell pepper. Cut into rounds, then cut rounds in half or quarters depending upon size. Arrange peppers on the opposite end of the serving tray as the green vegetables.

Arrange carrots below the bell peppers to complete the orange strip of the flag.

Chill until ready to serve. Serve with a bowl of vegetable dip on the side.

On a side note; while there is no official meaning behind the green, white and orange bands of the Irish Flag, there is a school of thought of the subject. The green band is said to represent either the original people of Ireland or Irish Catholics, while the orange band is said to be the British or Irish Protestants. The white in the middle represents ever-lasting peace binding together the two opposing sides.

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Shamrock Green Deviled Eggs
16 Eggs, hard-boiled
3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
3 teaspoons mustard or to taste
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar or to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Forest Green Food Coloring as needed

Note: You can boil your own eggs a day or two in advance, or buy hard-boiled eggs, which ever option makes your life easier.

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop out the yolks and place in a food processor fitted with a blade.

Arrange 12 whites on serving trays. Pick the best looking. The extras are to give more filling.

Pulse egg yolks until a fine grain. Add 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons mustard and 1 teaspoon vinegar. Pulse to blend smooth. Taste and adjust as needed with more mayonnaise, mustard and wine vinegar.

Transfer yolk to a stainless steel bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add food coloring in small amounts until desired color is achieved. Stir to blend completely between additions.

Spoon fill the whites, making filling even with the top of the white shell. Return any excess filling into the bowl.

Once all the eggs have been leveled with filling, transfer remaining yolk into a pastry bag fitted with a star. Pipe clovers on the eggs as desired.

Use a smaller star or ribbon tip to pipe the stems of the clovers.

Cover and chill for several hours before serving.

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Main Entrée

Irish Roast Beef with Stout Gravy
Chuck Roast
3 lb Chuck Roast, trimmed
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 Yellow Onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup Stout Beer
10 oz Beef Stock
1 packet Brown Gravy Mix

Brown Gravy
4 tablespoons Butter, divided
2 tablespoons Flour
1 1/2 cups Pot Juices

To Make Crock Pot Chuck Roast:
Season chuck roast liberally with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Peel and thinly slice the onion. Break into rings and set aside.

In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoons of butter and all of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chuck roast and sear meat on all sides until caramelized. Transfer roast to the Crock Pot.

To the now empty Dutch oven, add remaining tablespoon of butter. Let butter melt.

Scatter the onions over the melted butter and cook until the onions are soft and just beginning to brown.

Add the stout beer and beef stock, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits.

Remove from heat, whisk in the Brown Gravy Mix until blended. Pour beefy onion mixture over the meat in the Crock Pot.

Cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 10 hours, until meat begins to fall apart.

To Make Brown Gravy
Remove 1 1/2 cups of the drippings from the crock pot. It there isn’t enough liquid, add more beef stock to achieve the required amount. Set aside.

In a saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat until just beginning to foam. Stir in flour, one tablespoon at a time and cook, stirring constantly to create a roux. Flour mixture should cook for about 5 minutes to get rid of that floury taste. It’s okay to let roux become a rich, golden color. If it begins to scorch, reduce or remove from heat to prevent roux from burning.

In a slow, steady stream, add cooking liquid. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, one at a time, waiting for the first tablespoon to incorporate into the gravy before adding second. Stir and let it simmer until the desired thickness is reached. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

To serve: Place roast beef on a serving platter. Pour a little gravy down the center, and serve with additional gravy in a boat on the side for passing.

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Irish Champ Potatoes
3 lbs Potatoes, Russet
1 bunch Green Onions
1 cup Milk
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Butter
White Pepper to taste
1 stick Butter

Peel and cube potatoes into 1-inch pieces.

Place potatoes into large pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop green onions and set aside until ready to use.

Drain potatoes well. Return to very low heat and allow the potatoes to dry out for a few minutes.

While potatoes are drying, heat the milk and green onions gently in a saucepan, until warm.

Rice or Mash the potatoes, salt and butter together until smooth. Stir in the milk and green onion until evenly mixed. Season with freshly ground pepper.

Place mashed potatoes in a serving bowl. Create a well in the center of the potatoes. Melt butter and pour into the well.

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Whiskey Glazed Browned Butter Carrots
2 Bunches Baby Carrots, tops intact
4 tablespoons Water
Salt to taste
1 stick (8 tablespoons) Butter
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Whiskey
Parsley for garnish

Trim the tops of the carrots, leaving about 1-inch of the green intact.

Wash and peel carrots. Place in a microwave-safe dish. Add water and a pinch of salt.

Microwave on HIGH for about 4 or 5 minutes, until carrots are tender-crisp. Check after 3 minutes and adjust timing accordingly.

Heat an empty skillet until almost smoking hot. Remove the skillet from the heat, add butter. The butter will begin to brown almost immediately. Add the brown sugar, stir until the sugar has dissolved, creating a nice glaze.

Add whiskey to the pan, swirl to blend.

Place the carrots in the pan with the browned butter glaze. Swirl to coat carrots with glaze.

Return pan to low heat and continue to cook, swirling the pan, until the carrots are nicely glazed and everything is bubbling hot.

Meanwhile, chop parsley for garnish and set aside.

Transfer to a serving platter. Pour browned butter over the carrots, garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

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Salad with Bread

Irish Pub Salad with Creamy Dressing
The Pub Salad
3 hard-boiled Eggs, peeled and cut in half
8 Butter Lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried
10 pickled Baby Beets
16 pickled Asparagus Spears
1 Cucumber, sliced
10 Grape or Pear Tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup White Onion, sliced
White or Yellow Irish Cheddar Cheese, sliced

The Creamy Dressing
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Malt vinegar
2 teaspoons Tarragon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4-5 teaspoons water
sprinkle of salt and black pepper
pinch of sugar

To Make The Salad
To cook the eggs, fill a small saucepan half full with water and stir in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to help the eggs not to crack as they cook.  Gently lower the eggs into the cold water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Immediately plunge eggs into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Remove from the bath, let eggs cool to the point that they can be handled.  Once cool to the touch, peel the eggs and rinse off any shell fragments, then blot each egg dry with a paper towel.  Halve the eggs and sprinkle with black pepper.

Note: The eggs for the salad should be cooked the same day the salad is made. This is best if the eggs are fresh and not chilled from the refrigerator.

Tear off 8 pieces of lettuce. Rinse and blot dry with paper towel. Arrange most of the butter lettuce leaves around the outside of the platter and put one or two in the middle to make a pretty base for the other salad ingredients

Blot dry the baby beets, so the red juice doesn’t bleed. Set beets on paper towels until ready to use.

Place pickled asparagus spears on paper towels. Plot dry so the pickle juiced does not spread across the salad. Set aside until ready to use.

Using a fork, score the outside of the cucumber. Slice cucumber into rounds, set aside.

Cut tomatoes in half. Place on paper towels cut side down and set aside.

Cut the onion into eighths, then slice to get 12 curved slices. Slice the Cheddar cheese 1/8 inch thick.

Cut slices of cheddar cheese from a block. Cheese can be sticks or cubes, depending upon the desired look. Set aside.

To Make the Dressing
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, tarragon, and Dijon mustard.  Sprinkle in the salt and black pepper, then add a pinch of sugar.  Gradually add the water to get it the right pouring consistency.  Whisk until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

To Assemble Pub Salad
Arrange the salad in groups as desired. The beets and cheese can go in the center. Arrange everything else as you wish in groups rather than mixed together. The point of this salad is that people take those ingredients they like best and build personal salads. Drizzle finished salad with the dressing, passing remaining dressing table side.

Pub salads are traditionally served with Soda Bread.

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Shamrock Irish Soda Bread
4 cups Flour
1/3 cup White Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 tablespoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Buttermilk
1 Egg
Kelly Green Food Coloring
1/4 cup Butter, melted
1/4 cup Buttermilk

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a heavy baking pan and dust with flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a fork, blend in the 1/2 cup butter thoroughly.

Stir in one cup buttermilk and the egg. Add food coloring to the dough. Mix well using your hands to knead it several times.

Form into a round shape and place on baking sheet. Cut an a clover-leaf on the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.

Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a microwave safe bowl. Combine melted butter and remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk. Brush mixture over top of loaf, allowing mixture to seep into the cut.

Bake 45-55 minutes, brushing the top again two or three times during baking.

Bread can be baked the day before and wrapped in foil. Warm gently before serving. Slice and serve.

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Dessert and Coffee

Saint Patrick’s Grasshopper Trifle
1 box Vanilla Instant Pudding
3 cups Milk
2 tablespoons Mint Extract
Green Food Coloring as needed
1 cup Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup Oreo Cookies, crushed

To Make Pudding
Chill a metal bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Empty pudding mix and VERY cold milk into the chilled bowl. Beat, whisk vigorously for 5 minutes or until the pudding is soft-set.

Add mint extract and green food coloring to pudding. Continue to whip until completely blended and no streaks of color remain.

Place pudding into the refrigerator and continue to chill until firmly set.

To Make Whipped Cream
Meanwhile, chill another metal bowl and electric whisk attachment in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Pour heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the well-chilled bowl. Whip on high until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

To Assemble Trifle
Crush Oreo cookies. Spread 1/3 cup of the crushed cookies over the bottom of the trifle bowl.

Layer half of the pudding, then half of the whipped cream.

Repeat with 1/3 of the cookies, remaining pudding, remaining whipped cream.

Finish with a layer of crushed cookies.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Irish Coffee
8 teaspoons Sugar, or to taste
½ cup Irish Whiskey
2 cups hot Coffee, or as needed
½ cup heavy cream, lightly beaten to form soft peaks

Place 2 teaspoons of sugar in each of 4 mugs. Add 2 tablespoons of whiskey to each mug, then fill with coffee. Hold a spoon, rounded side up, over each mug and slowly pour the cream over the spoon, floating it on top of the coffee. 

Note: For that Saint Patty’s Day Green, whipped cream may be tinted with green food gel to desired shade. A sprinkling of Green Sugar Crystals is also a nice touch.