St Patrick’s Day Corned Beef and Colcannon

Colcannon is a favourite for St Patrick’s Day, made with potatoes and greens, usually cabbage but you could use kale, chard or another leafy green if you prefer. You can swap half the potatoes for parsnips if you like, or add some leeks, bacon and/or chives perhaps. We are roasting the corned beef until it is falling-apart tender, then letting it rest while we work on the colcannon – a buttery mixture of potatoes, onion and cabbage. Corned beef and cabbage is found on Irish bar and restaurant menus all over the world, although it might surprise you to learn this is not such a popular dish in Ireland!

Beef was considered a luxury in Ireland for a long time, with bacon and ham being far more popular. Irish immigrants in the US could get corned beef cheaply and easily (unlike bacon or ham) which is why it became a staple for Irish-Americans. Corned beef was considered a Jewish meat during the times of immigration, but the Irish found the texture similar to their beloved pork, which is probably why they made the change.

Bars in the early 20th century would offer free corned beef and cabbage to Irish workers who would come for drinks after working on building sites all day long (well, as long as they purchased a few drinks too!) You can buy corned beef in Ireland (usually the canned version) but it does not make a huge appearance around St Patrick’s Day as you might think. However, this dish is too good to miss out on, so give our corned beef and colcannon recipe a try and see what you think. Northern Ireland is technically part of Britain (although the ingredients in this dish are equally popular in the North and South of the country). Continue reading →