St. Patrick's Day Pie
The Perfect Meal to celebrate the Irish Holiday
Americans love St. Patrick’s Day. It always seemed like it was a bigger holiday over here than anywhere else. I am married to a Plastic Paddy. Meaning Matt holds an Irish passport but has never lived in Ireland. His Father hailed from County Galway and was a proud Irishman through and through. Matt was born and raised in England but his Irish roots run deep.
When I first met John, my late Father-in-Law, the first thing he gave me was a list of Irish songs that I must learn. From Molly Malone to the Fields of Athenry, I learned them all. I didn’t know a lot about Ireland before meeting Matt. I would say I had a cursory overview, but no real in depth knowledge. Now, I can appreciate why Matt will never hold a UK passport in spite of having lived there most of his life.
This year to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I made Champ and then topped a beautifully savory slow cooked corned beef and cabbage pie filling with it. I am calling it St. Patrick’s Pie and it was every bit as delicious as it seems. It’s a full meal and it was a banger. The idea came from one of my girlfriends who told me to make my Poultryman’s Pie but with corned beef. Thank you Emily, you are a genius. The test run I made this week was given to neighbors to try and they all knocked on my door to tell me how good it was. Not only does it stretch the corned beef, but it’s nice to do something different sometimes. Below are 2 recipes. One for Champ, which is one of the best ways to eat potatoes ever and the next is for the pie.
Serves 8 generously
