St. Paddy’s Day Recipe Twists

Photo Jennie Phaneuf

There are more ways to get a taste of Irish-style fare than the classic corned beef and cabbage dinner. In this trio of recipes from the Idaho Potato Commission you can start your morning with One-Pot Corned Beef Hash with Potatoes in which crispy exteriors and pillowy middles of potatoes and corned beef provide the perfect holiday kickoff meal. Bring the pub fare to you with Reuben Irish Nachos, which have everything you need to get in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit. Creamy worlds collide as homemade guacamole tops spuds lending a bit of green to Lucky Irish Twice Baked Potatoes. If you would like to serve up a classic dinner feast for the whole family, you can check out their Instant Pot Corned Beef recipe. Plus, a good Reuben sandwich is delicious anytime. I recently made my own at home (see below)—yum!

Reuben Irish Nachos

Makes 6 Servings | Recipe by Jennie Phaneuf courtesy Idaho Potato Commission

Crisp slices of roasted potatoes get topped with corned beef, sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, and homemade Thousand Island dressing. It’s the perfect crowd-pleaser for any occasion. –J.P.

1 pound Idaho red potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1½ cups chopped corned beef
1½ cups sauerkraut, drained well
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
½ cup precooked crumbled bacon
3 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons sliced scallions, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Add potato slices to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
3. Transfer the potato slices to the prepared baking sheets, spreading them out in an even layer, making sure not to overlap the slices. Bake for 12 minutes on each side, or until golden and slightly crispy.
4. Turn the oven down to 350°F. Lightly grease a cast iron pan or small baking dish. Layer the potatoes in the bottom of the pan. Top with chopped corned beef, sauerkraut, and grated Swiss cheese (in that order). Sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
5. Drizzle the dressing over the top and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately.

Photo Elizabeth Lindemann

One-Pot Corned Beef Hash with Potatoes

Makes 4 Servings | Recipe by Elizabeth Lindemann courtesy Idaho Potato Commission

This easy corned beef hash recipe is all made in one pot—no precooking the potatoes required. Small-diced potatoes are cooked in onions and butter in a skillet, with cooked corned beef and parsley added in for an easy breakfast (or lunch, or dinner). It’s perfect served with a fried egg on top and a great way to use up leftover corned beef from St. Patrick’s Day. –E.L.

2 tablespoons butter, divided, plus more if needed
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 cups finely diced red Idaho potatoes, washed and unpeeled (about 1 pound)
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup water (or the leftover cooking liquid from making corned beef)
2 cups cooked corned beef, finely shredded or diced (about 10 ounces)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
Fried or sunny-side up eggs, for serving (optional)

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes and water or cooking liquid from the corned beef. Season with salt and pepper (if using cooking liquid, you will need very little, if any, salt). Stir, bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked.
4. Uncover and simmer for 5 more minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
5. Stir the corned beef into the skillet, as well as the remaining tablespoon butter. Turn the heat up to medium high. Cook for about 3 minutes without stirring, until bottom of hash begins to brown. Stir to flip hash around and allow to cook for another 3 minutes or so without stirring, until most of the hash has a good amount of browned, crispy bits (about 10 minutes total). If it starts to cook too quickly or burn, add a bit more butter and/or turn down the heat.
6. Turn off heat and stir in parsley, rosemary, thyme, and freshly ground coriander seed. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
7. Serve with sunny-side-up or fried eggs, with extra parsley for garnish, if desired.

Cook’s Note: You can make this with already cooked potatoes as well. Just melt both tablespoons of butter in the skillet, and add the onions, potatoes, and corned beef at once, continuing with instructions as directed from step 5.

Photo Idaho Potato Commission

Lucky Irish Twice Baked Potatoes

Makes 4 Servings | Recipe courtesy Idaho Potato Commission

The luck of the Irish smiles on these cheesy stuffed baked Idaho potatoes with California Avocado and guacamole.

For the Baked Potatoes
2 large Idaho russet potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup grated jack cheese or grated cheddar-jack cheese
½ cup chopped chives
1 ripe, fresh California avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Guacamole
1 ripe, fresh California avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Guacamole

1. Mash avocado chunks with lime juice in a medium bowl.
2. Add cilantro and salt. Blend until creamy.

Baked Potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Bake whole potatoes in oven for 1 hour; remove potatoes and reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
2. Let potatoes rest for 5 minutes, then cut in half lengthwise and scoop out potato flesh into large bowl. Remove potato jackets.
3. Add butter, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, and cheese to potato in bowl. Whip until creamy with electric hand mixer. Mash avocado chunks with lime juice in a medium bowl.
4. Gently stir in chives and avocado pieces.
5. Spoon mixture into halved potato jackets and bake in 350°F oven for 20 minutes.
6. Top each with a heaping spoonful of guacamole to serve.

Photo Mary Subialka

Reuben Sandwich

Makes 1

I love a good Reuben sandwich anytime, and it feels especially timely around St. Patrick’s Day. I enjoy it at a restaurant and figured I could make it at home, too!

Just lightly butter the inside of the rye bread to keep it from getting soggy, add some Thousand Island dressing, a slice of Swiss cheese, a few slices of corned beef (I used 3, it depends on your preference), sauerkraut (about ¼ cup per sandwich, slightly drained), then top that with another slice of Swiss cheese and close with a lightly buttered slice of rye with another layer of Thousand Island dressing. Butter the outside of the bread and slowly heat in a pan over low heat, flipping until both sides of the bread are lightly browned and crispy, the cheese is melty, and the meat is warmed.

Tips: To make sure the meat is warmed through, you can lay your slices on the pan over low heat for a minute before preparing the sandwich. Also, if you have a cover that works with your pan, it can help keep some heat in to warm the inside of the sandwich.

Hungry for More?

St. Paddy’s Day Celebration Essentials

From the corned beef and cabbage dinner and Irish soda bread to a festive cocktail, we make sure you have even more recipes to choose from for St. Patrick’s Day.