My annual St. Patrick's Day dinner is always one of my favorite meals of the year and the menu is always the same - Irish soda bread, corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. This year I decided to reimagine the same ingredients in new ways, added a mouthwatering appetizer, but made zero changes to the bread!
That mouthwatering appetizer is an amazing Pretzel Ring Guinness Cheese Dip. Holy moly this was delicious and with a shortcut or two, is as easy as it is delicious. Keep reading for the recipe.
But first, instead of roasting my corned beef as I always do, this year I used my smoker to make Smoked Corned Beef. I preheated the smoker to 275 degrees, removed my corned beef briskets from the packet and patted them dry before sprinkling the seasoning packets on each one, and added some extra black pepper and brown sugar.
I smoked the briskets for 2 hours, covered them with foil, and continued to smoke for 1 more hour, until the internal temperature reached 185 degrees. I removed them to a cutting board, kept them covered, and let them rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
For the potatoes, instead of boiling or roasting, I elevated them by making Boxty, which is basically a potato cake using a combination of mashed and grated potatoes mixed with flour and buttermilk, and then fried. The dish originated in Ireland in the 1700s and was primarily meant to stretch the potato harvest, which the Irish depend on every year. Boxty is still popular in Ireland today.
I started by peeling and dicing one russet potato which I added to a pot of cold water with salt. I brought it to a boil, reduced the heat, and cooked until the potatoes were fork tender.
I passed through a ricer for the perfect texture. A food mill or sieve would also work.
I peeled another russet potato and using a box grater, grated and squeezed out all of the water. I added the shredded potato into the riced potato along with one cup all purpose flour, one teaspoon baking soda, one teaspoon salt, one half teaspoon pepper, and three quarters cup buttermilk, stirring until I had a thick batter, I preheated a large skillet with two tablespoons each butter and extra virgin olive oil and once bubbly, I used a quarter cup measuring cup to drop four rounds of batter at a time into the skillet and cooked 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. I transferred to a wire rack over a sheet pan, sprinkled with salt, added two more tablespoons butter and oil to the pan, and repeated the process until all of the batter was gone. I served on a platter with sour cream and chopped scallions.
Instead of roasted or braised cabbage, this year I opted to make Bacon Fried Cabbage. Any recipe that starts with a pound of crumbled bacon has to be good, right?
I cooked the chopped bacon until crisp and removed to a paper towel-lined plate. To the bacon fat, I added one diced onion, one teaspoon salt, and one half teaspoon pepper and cooked until translucent.
I added one head of cabbage, chopped, one tablespoon brown sugar, and a bit more salt and pepper. I cooked until it was tender, around 5-10 minutes.
I added back the bacon, stirred to combine, and popped the whole pan into a warming oven while I pulled the rest of the dinner together. Right before I served, I added freshly chopped parsley.
And finally, for the Pretzel Ring Guinness Cheese Dip, I popped open one can of biscuit dough (SHORT CUT!), cut each biscuit in half, and rolled each half into a ball for a total of sixteen. I used a knife to cut an "x" on the top of each biscuit. Meanwhile, I brought two cups of water to a boil and added two tablespoons baking soda. I dropped four biscuits into the boiling water and cooked for 30 seconds, and then removed with a slotted spoon. I lined them around the edge of a large cast iron skillet.
For the dip, I combined one and three quarter cups shredded cheddar, one half cup shredded mozzarella, one 8oz block of softened cream cheese, five teaspoons Dijon mustard, two chopped scallions, two teaspoons garlic powder, and one quarter cup Guinness (you can use your favorite beer). I added the dip to the skillet in the center of the biscuit ring.
I brushed the biscuits with egg wash and sprinkled with salt before baking at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
I garnished with more scallions and then let everyone pull apart the soft pretzel biscuits to dip. Quite a hit!
No changes to my annual Irish Soda Bread, and honestly, no changes are needed.
Last but not least, the perfect drink to wash it all down, an Irish Mule. Two ounces Irish whiskey, one ounce fresh lime juice, and topped with ginger beer. No shaking or straining!
The best part of these recipes is that you do not need to wait until next St. Patrick's Day to enjoy them. Make them tomorrow!
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