St. Patrick is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. The legends that surround him that he drove the snakes out of Ireland and shared the Trinity through the use of the Irish clover, the shamrock, led to the celebration of St. Patrick. The secular holiday began in the United States in the 1700s and has grown over the years. While the potato famine occurred in Ireland, there was meat readily available in America, making corned beef a welcome addition to the potato and making dishes like corned beef brisket a staple for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
The International Aisle is a bevy of options for traditional Irish goods. Start St. Patrick’s Day with Irish Oatmeal that is truly hearty. There are several stone-ground mustards available in the International Aisle with varying levels of spice or kick. A seasonal favorite is Irish Potato Flakes – once made and kale or cabbage added with heavy cream makes the traditional Irish mashed potatoes of Colcannon.
Outside of the International aisle, the meat department offers plenty of options. Pre-packaged containers of brisket with carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and spices are all ready to go in one convenient package. When you get home, all that is needed is to put it in a stew pot with the required amount of liquid and viola – a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal is ready to go. If you prefer, corned beef can be picked up in the meat department. The produce section offers a bounty of potato choices in addition to carrots (maybe even mix up the colors with rainbow carrots) and cabbage. Pickling spices are available in the Deli and/or spice aisle.
If Irish Seafood Chowder is your celebratory dish for St. Patrick’s Day, pick up any variety of seafood from the seafood counter from salmon, trout, or shellfish. The vegetables for the stew vary based on taste but can include celery, potatoes, or cabbage.
If you want to make your own pickling spice mix, hit the spice aisle to pick up whole peppercorns, bay leaves, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, allspice berries, ground mace, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, or ground ginger. The recipe for corned beef and cabbage pickling spices vary, so stick with the spices you know and use after making the pickling spice mix. Some basic pickling spice mix would be mustard seeds, allspice berries, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
If you want pre-made Irish Soda Bread, check out the deli for a selection of different sized loaves of bread, some made into the size of muffins. The deli is a great place to get sugar cookies in shamrock shapes to decorate at home or even pre-decorated for a non-traditional but sweet treat.
For the adults in the home, if Irish Coffee is the cocktail of choice to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, pick up a strong, bold ground coffee and sugar from the commissary in preparation. If you are looking to make it a 21 and up only cocktail, don’t forget to stop by the Class 6 or Package store for Irish Whiskey like Jameson.
Things to get from the Commissary for your St. Patrick’s Day Celebration:
- Corned beef
- Cabbage
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Pickling Spices
- Stone-Ground Mustard
- Seafood as desired
- Celery
- Irish Oatmeal
- Irish Soda Bread
- Shamrock Cookies
- Heavy Cream
- Strong Ground Coffee
- Sugar
What will you eat this St. Patrick’s Day?
