Eight Traditional Irish Winter Recipes

Try out these eight traditional Irish winter recipes that will fill your stomachs and keep you warm this Christmas.

Have you got friends or family visiting soon and want to wow them with some traditional Irish winter recipes to make them gush over how Irish you are and immersed in the culture you’ve become? Well never fear, we’re more than happy to help you spin a web of lies that will fool your loved ones and, you know, make them think you’re doing well here and everything! These traditional Irish winter recipes are warm, wholesome and perfect for the upcoming winter months – but be warned, the recipes that lie ahead are pretty carnivorous…. We promise that an article on vegetarian alternatives is in the pipeline.

1. Colcannon

This traditional Irish recipe of creamy mashed potatoes is a classic staple on any Irish dinner table, so if you’re planning an elaborate Irish ruse then you will probably want to start here. There are many different ways of approaching this creamy dish but there is one mandatory rule: never let your colcannon be crumbly. Like, ever.

Time: 45 mins    Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1kg potatoes, peeled and diced
• 250g savoy cabbage, finely sliced
• 1 bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 75ml of milk
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Optional: crumbled cooked bacon
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Method:

2. Beef and Guinness Stew

It doesn’t get more Irish than a good old, warming stew – even more so with this distinguished beery twist. Here’s another warm, comforting traditional Irish recipe to warm you up this winter and fool your dinner guests you’ve gone all Irish. And oh, you’ll need a big pot for this one.

Time: 120 mins     Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp of any oil
• 1kg shoulder of beef, cut into one-inch chunks
• 2 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• As much garlic as you like, finely sliced
• 150ml beef stock
• 500ml of Guinness
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 30g of plain flour

Method:

3. Beef and Guinness Pie

The above stew actually provides the perfect foundations for a beautiful beef and Guinness pie. You will need the exact same ingredients as listed in the prior recipe, plus the ingredients for the pastry, all of which are listed below.

Time: 150minutes   Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp of oil (whatever kind you like)
• 1kg shoulder of beef, cut into one-inch chunks
• 2 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• As much garlic as you like, finely sliced
• 150ml beef stock
• 500ml of Guinness
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 30g of plain flour
• 2 sheets of ready to roll puff pastry
• A little butter to grease the baking dish
• 1 egg to brush

Method:

4. Roast Lamb With Rosemary, Garlic and Pesto

This flavoursome dish is the perfect combination of festive and classic. This hearty show stopper is one of the most versatile additions to your arsenal of traditional Irish winter recipes. It is suitable for any occasion (apart from vegan conventions perhaps), from Sunday roasts to Christmas dinners and casual dinner parties.

Time: 120      Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the lamb:

• 1 leg of lamb, on the bone (roughly 2½ kg to serve 6-8)
• As much garlic as you like, sliced finely
• 3 sprigs of rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp of oil
• Sea salt and ground black pepper

For the wild garlic pesto: (optional)

• As much garlic as you like, minced
• 50g of pine nuts
• 75g of Parmesan cheese, grated
• 350ml of extra virgin olive oil or Irish rapeseed oil

Method:

Optional:

5. Boxty

Boxty is essentially a potato pancake made up of last night’s mashed potatoes and fried with leftover veg. Don’t worry however if you didn’t have mashed potatoes or veg the night before, it’s perfectly okay to make this traditional Irish dish from scratch (your dinner guests will never know). This dish is super easy to make in vast quantities and will go perfectly with your favourite dips and garnishes.

Serves: 4     Time: 30 minutesIngredients:

• 250g of raw potatoes, grated
• 250g of leftover mash
• 250g of all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1/4 cup of milk
• Butter or oil for frying
• 6 spring onions, finely sliced (optional)
• 100g cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

Method:

6. Dublin Coddle

A coddle is a traditional Irish recipe that can basically be anything. The dish, which originated in Dublin, is traditionally made up of any leftovers you may have from the week, thrown together in a big pot and left to simmer on the hob for a couple of hours. The beauty of this traditional Irish dish is that it can be whatever you want it to be, so those pesky dinner guests of yours can’t say a thing.

Serves: 4      Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 6-8 bacon rashers, roughly chopped
• 3-4 potatoes, peeled and cut into small slices
• 8 sausages
• 500ml chicken stock
• 100g pearl barley
• A good handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• A generous helping of butter

Method:

7. Guinness Mustard

Here is a delightful dish that would go perfectly with your freshly made boxty. If you couldn’t wait and have already eaten your boxty, never fear! This unique dip can be used to brighten up any sandwich. Even if you don’t like mustard, give this recipe a try – you may be surprised. Not that everything’s about you.

CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Time: 10 minutes   Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 175g of coarse-grained Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons of regular Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons of Guinness
• 1 tablespoon of minced shallots
• 1 teaspoon of golden brown sugar

Method:

8. Shepherd’s Pie

If you really want to pull out the big guns and go for something all comforting, super traditional and wonderfully warming, we’ve saved the best of our traditional Irish winter recipes till last, for those special ones who read all the way through… Shepherd’s pie is the ultimate blend of creamy potatoes, veg and meat to warm you up and fill you up and make you feel wholesome.

Time: 90 mins    Serves: 4

• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 of medium carrots, chopped
• 700g of minced lamb or Quorn/meat substitute
• 2 tbsp of thyme, roughly chopped
• 400ml of beef stock (or veg option)
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
• 800g of potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup of peas
• 75g of butter
• 100ml of milk
• 6 spring onions, finely sliced
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to season

Method:

How many of these traditional Irish winter recipes have you made? Which ones are you most excited to make? Let us know in the comments section below and share your creations! Happy cooking!