Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at home with these tasty cocktails and recipes

HOUSTON – Tim Laird, America’s CEO - Chief Entertaining Officer, is sharing his secrets to hosting a fun and easy Irish brunch at home for St. Patrick’s Day.

Up first, the cocktails.

The star of these drinks is Irish Whiskey. Tim recommends Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey.

Irish Coffee

Makes 1 cocktail

Tim Laird, America’s CEO - Chief Entertaining Officer, is sharing his secrets to hosting an easy and tasty Irish brunch at home for St. Patrick’s Day. (Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

In a mug, add:

4 ounces coffee 1½ ounces Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey

Top with whipped cream

Pot of Gold

Makes 1 cocktail

Tim Laird, America’s CEO - Chief Entertaining Officer, is sharing his secrets to hosting an easy and tasty Irish brunch at home for St. Patrick’s Day. (Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

In a very small bowl, add 10-15 golden raisins and enough Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey to cover them. Let soak for a few hours or overnight.

In a rocks glass with ice, add:

1½ ounces Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey

3 ounces ginger beer

Squeeze of lime

Stir and top with the whiskey soaked raisins.

It wouldn’t be a St. Patrick’s Day feast without adding a hint of green to your menu.

Green Eggs and Ham on Crostini

Serves 4 to 6

Tim Laird, America’s CEO - Chief Entertaining Officer, is sharing his secrets to hosting an easy and tasty Irish brunch at home for St. Patrick’s Day. (Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

Ingredients:

8 eggs

2 cups spinach

6 slices ham, cut in half

3 tablespoons butter

1 baguette, sliced

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish

In a blender, add the eggs and spinach. Blend until completely combined.

In a medium non-stick pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the eggs and stir, cooking until very soft or desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a bowl.

Toast and butter 12 slices of the baguette

Top the crostini with a folded slice of ham, spoonful of eggs, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Irish Rueben Bites

Serves 4 to 6

Tim Laird, America’s CEO - Chief Entertaining Officer, is sharing his secrets to hosting an easy and tasty Irish brunch at home for St. Patrick’s Day. (Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

Ingredients:

5 flatbreads or wraps

5 cups shredded Swiss cheese

½ cup Irish mustard, recipe below

5 teaspoons caraway seeds, toasted

2½ pounds sliced corned beef

2½ cups sauerkraut

Top each flatbread with 1 cup Swiss cheese. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes until melted. Spread a thin layer of mustard on each, and top with a sprinkle of caraway seeds. Add ½ pound corned beef, and then an even layer of sauerkraut. Roll, slice, and serve.

To Make the Irish Mustard:

Combine ½ cup mustard and 1½ tablespoons Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey.

Mashed Potatoes with Pea Puree

Serves 4 to 6

The pea puree adds a festive color and wonderful texture to every day mashed potatoes.

Tim Laird, America’s CEO - Chief Entertaining Officer, is sharing his secrets to hosting an easy and tasty Irish brunch at home for St. Patrick’s Day. (Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

Ingredients:

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pound Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tablespoon salt

¼ cup milk, possibly a little more

3 tablespoons butter

1 16-ounce bag frozen peas, thawed

Salt and Pepper

Boil potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain well. Return potatoes to the same pan. Add milk and butter. Mash until smooth, adding additional milk for desired consistency.

In a blender or food processor, puree the peas until smooth.

Tim Laird, America’s CEO - Chief Entertaining Officer, is sharing his secrets to hosting an easy and tasty Irish brunch at home for St. Patrick’s Day. (Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

Mix the puree into the mashed potatoes.

Tim Laird, America’s CEO - Chief Entertaining Officer, is sharing his secrets to hosting an easy and tasty Irish brunch at home for St. Patrick’s Day. (Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Irish Stout Beef Stew

Serves 4 to 6

Tim Laird, America’s CEO - Chief Entertaining Officer, is sharing his secrets to hosting an easy and tasty Irish brunch at home for St. Patrick’s Day. (Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil

1½ pounds stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes

8 cloves garlic, crushed

3 14-ounce cans (6 cups) low sodium beef broth

1 cup Irish stout beer

1 cup cabernet sauvignon wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices

3 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 12-ounce package frozen pearl onions

Salt

Pepper

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat and brown on each side, approximately 5 minutes. You may need to do this in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. With all the meat in the pan, add the garlic and sauté, then add the beef broth, beer and wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the brown bits. Add the tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 60 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, pearl onions, and simmer uncovered for an additional 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves and serve in individual ramekins with a dollop of green mashed potatoes (recipe below). Can be made 2 days ahead

Note: Another serving idea is to hollow out a bread boule, fill with beef stew, top with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. Heat under the broiler to melt the cheese.

Tim Laird is the author of “That’s Entertaining!” - a guide to hosting 17 different themed occasions throughout the year.

Tim Laird, America’s CEO - Chief Entertaining Officer, is sharing his secrets to hosting an easy and tasty Irish brunch at home for St. Patrick’s Day. (Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

Follow him @TimLairdCheers for more recipes and entertaining tips.


About the Author:

Heather Kansteiner is a supervising producer for Houston Life. She has been part of the team since the show launched in 2016. She loves all things Houston and enjoys sharing what makes the city a great place to live, work and play.