St. Patrick's Day Weekend 2023 did not disappoint as usual. Good food, good drinks, good company. What more could we need? How about some new recipes to accompany the tried and true SPD dishes? Got it covered!
Any good dinner party needs a good cocktail so this my new concoction which I have called Luck O' The Irish. The recipe includes two parts bourbon, one part ginger-vanilla simple syrup*, the juice of one lime, two drops of green food coloring, and one egg white. Shake vigorously with ice, strain into a rocks glass, and garnish with a lime wedge and cherry. This can also be made as a mock-tail by subbing in unsweetened tea for the bourbon, and for kids, you can also leave out the egg white. I had several young taste testers and received an overwhelmingly positive response!
*Ginger-vanilla simple syrup is made with equal parts water and sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a few slices of fresh ginger. Cook until the sugar dissolves, remove from heat and allow it to cool, and then strain into a jar or bottle. Keep refrigerated.
In addition to the other new recipes which are detailed below, I of course made Corned Beef and Cabbage and Irish Soda Bread and included a few pictures below. These are the same recipes that I made last year so I will not say much about them other than how delicious and easy they are, but if you would like to read about how I made them, check out last year's St. Patrick's Day post - Sláinte. Scroll down below the bread to read about my NEW recipes for this year.
I try not to repeat menus and always want to try new flavors and recipes, but sometimes I also like to reimagine existing recipes. One example would be my new Air Fryer Beef Shepherd's Pie Egg Rolls with Guinness Gravy.
I started by browning one pound of ground beef...
...and then I added one half of a chopped yellow onion. a teaspoon of minced garlic, and a half cup of frozen peas and carrots. I seasoned with salt and pepper and added a tablespoon each of tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, one cup of beef stock, and a teaspoon of dried oregano.
A true Shepherd's Pie has a mashed potato topping, but as I was making egg rolls, I added two cups of mashed potatoes to the beef mixture and combined well. And to save time, I used refrigerated store bought mashed potatoes.
To assemble, I brushed the edges of my wonton wrappers with egg wash, and filled the center with a quarter cup of the mixture. I folded the bottom corner over the meat, tucked in the sides, and rolled up to seal.
You can easily deep fry these and they would be delicious, but I decided to take a healthier route and air fry. I set my air fryer to 370 degrees, sprayed my basket with vegetable oil, and cooked the egg rolls for about 17 minutes, flipping several times until they were golden and crispy.
The Guinness Gravy was made by using equal parts (two tablespoons) butter and flour, cooking for several minutes, and then adding one half cup each of Guinness and beef stock, a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, a squeeze of yellow mustard, and a pinch each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
I think the star of the show however was my new Corned Beef and Cabbage Potato Gratin, All of the flavors of Corned Beef and Cabbage, but overloaded with comfort! I started with two bags of store-bought shredded potatoes.
Next up, I added half of a head of chopped cabbage....
...two cups of good shredded cheddar cheese...
...one small (three pound) corned beef brisket which I cooked using the method in last year's post (see above)....
...one cup of sour cream...
...and finally to bind it all together, I made a cream sauce using one half stick of butter which I melted to sauté one half of a chopped onion. Once the onion was softened, I added one half cup of flour and cooked for several minutes. I then added one cup of beef stock and two to three cups of milk. I seasoned with typical corned beef spices - bay leaf, mustard seeds, ground allspice, salt, and pepper and allowed it to simmer until it reached my desired thickness.
After thoroughly combining, I poured it into my baking dish and prepared my topping which consisted of two cups of crushed corn flakes mixed with one half stick of melted butter.
I covered the dish with foil and baked at 400 degrees for forty minutes, removed the foil and allowed it to bake for another fifteen minutes until golden and bubbly.
This is a meal I could eat any day of the year and I would not be surprised if you felt the same way!
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