Irish dishes for leftovers (Best traditional dishes)
For many of us, St. Patrick’s Day is about indulging in traditional Irish meals like soda bread, stew, colcannon, and coddle.
But once the revelry is over, you’re often left staring down a table full of leftovers. Luckily, Irish cuisine offers some super creative ways to transform those leftovers into tasty new dishes.
For many of us, St. Patrick’s Day is about indulging in traditional Irish meals like soda bread, stew, colcannon, and coddle. But once the revelry is over, you’re often left staring down a table full of leftovers. Luckily, Irish cuisine offers some super creative ways to transform those leftovers into tasty new dishes.
The centerpiece of many a St. Paddy’s Day feast is corned beef with all the fixings. Rather than letting leftover corned beef go to waste, turn it into the ultimate comfort food – corned beef hash. All you need are some leftover spuds, onions, and spices. Fry it all up together for a simple yet satisfying meal. For an easy weeknight dinner, stuff your shredded corned beef into quesadillas, cheese, peppers, and onions. You can even pile leftover slices onto rye bread with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut for a fantastic Reuben sandwich.
Once Irish immigrants arrived in America in the late 1700s and 1800s, they discovered wondrous new ingredients like the russet potato. Boxty, also known as Irish potato pancakes, is a tasty way to use leftover mashed potatoes. Grate the spuds and mix in flour, baking powder, salt, green onions, and parsley. Then fry up spoonfuls of the batter until crispy and golden brown. Top with a dollop of sour cream or rich Irish whiskey gravy! For an even simpler preparation, slice up your leftover potatoes and fry them into home fries.
Colcannon is another beloved Irish classic traditionally made with boiled potatoes, cabbage, scallions, and a creamy dressing. Don’t buy ingredients to make colcannon – you likely have all you need already in your St. Patrick’s Day leftovers! Sauté some shredded cabbage with mashed potatoes, adding salt, pepper, and parsley. For extra richness, stir in milk, cream, or butter. Get creative with your colcannon concoctions using whatever veggies or herbs you have.
Both shepherd’s pie and cottage pie are genius ways to transform leftover meat and potatoes into comfort food. To make shepherd’s pie, start by browning ground beef or chopped roast with onions, carrots, and peas. Thicken with flour, then transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and top with – you guessed it – leftover mashed potatoes. Bake until heated; top with cheddar or Swiss cheese in the last few minutes. Cottage pie is similar but uses chopped leftover pot roast or beef stew instead of ground beef. The gravy from the stew keeps it nice and moist.
What about all that leftover Irish soda bread from St. Patrick’s Day? Never let it go to waste! Whip up some hearty breadcrumbs to coat meatballs or top casseroles—toast thick slices for BLTs or breakfast. For dessert, bake cubed bread tossed in cinnamon sugar and served with whipped cream or ice cream. You can even pulse it in the food processor to make crunchy crumbs for recipes.
Regarding leftovers, Irish cuisine offers endless inspiration for transforming tired ingredients into new delicious meals. Shepherd’s pie, colcannon, corned beef hash – these crafty recipes prove the fantastic potential of leftovers. Follow the resourcefulness of Irish cooking and whip up your creative twists. With a touch of imagination, you can invent tasty new ways to use up extra meat, potatoes, bread, and more.
Let’s look at some more traditional Irish dishes and how to improvise with leftovers:
Irish dish for leftovers
Materials
- Potatoes, Onion, Sausage, Bacon
- Lamb, olive oil, capers, anchovies, garlic, vinegar
- Oats, cookies, chicken, nuts
- potatoes, spices, eggs
- Pot roast, Carrots, Onions, guinness
Instructions
- Dublin CoddleCoddle is a hearty one-pot meal with sliced potatoes, onions, sausage, bacon, and often leftovers. Improvise your coddle by layering sliced potatoes, onions, and leftover cooked meats in a Dutch oven. Add chunks of sausage, ham, or bacon, too. Pour over chicken or beef broth and simmer for an hour until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Irish Roast LambLeftover roast lamb makes excellent sandwiches layered with salsa verde, a tangy Italian sauce made with parsley, olive oil, capers, anchovies, garlic, and vinegar. Or chop roast lamb with mint jelly and cream cheese to make a flavorful lamb dip or spread. Think beyond just reheating slices – get creative with leftover roasted meats!
- Irish OatmealAfter St. Patrick's Day, are we left with extra steel-cut or rolled oats? Transform them into oatmeal cookies with raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips, or nuts. Or use it as a substitute for bread crumbs to coat chicken, fish, or meat before baking or frying. Mix oats, nuts, and dried fruit for an instant homemade trail mix.
- Irish Breakfast PotatoesLeftover baked, mashed, or boiled potatoes can be transformed into a traditional Irish breakfast. Dice up any cooked potatoes and fry them in butter or oil until lightly browned and crispy. For extra flavor, add diced onions, bell peppers, smoked sausage, herbs, and spices. Top with a fried egg to make it a hearty meal. Irish breakfast potatoes are a savory way to start the day with leftover spuds.
- Guinness Beef StewThis rich Guinness-infused stew is intensely flavorful thanks to the bold Irish stout. Chop leftover pot roast and make a speedy version by browning the meat with onions, carrots, and mushrooms. Deglaze with a splash of Guinness, then add broth. Simmer until the veggies are tender for a simple yet satisfying stew the whole family will love.As you can see, Irish cooking offers endless inspiration for giving leftovers new life. You can invent twists on classic recipes with a pinch of creativity and imagination. This St. Patrick’s Day, channel the resourcefulness of Irish cuisine. Transform tired leftovers into mouthwatering new dishes your family and friends will adore!
