St. Patrick’s Day recipes, from corned beef to colcannon

Calling all corned beef and cabbage fans. We’ve got a wide range of St. Patrick’s Day recipes for all types of home cooks, from traditionalists looking to try their hand at  to more adventurous chefs who want to transform those ingredients with new forms.

Read on for three great St. Patrick’s Day recipes, and don’t forget to check out our guide for

Corned Beef Sandwiches

Tired of the same old corned beef and cabbage St. Patrick’s Day menu? This year, try putting paired with a secret sauce instead. This recipe comes from Sonya Keister, food blogger and author of “Chef’s Table: Concepts and Recipes for Gathering” (Keister, $40).

Keister initially wanted to develop this as a slider recipe for Super Bowl and similar sports-watching parties, but with a runny egg component, decided it worked better as a full-size sandwich. “The runny egg oozing into the creamy sauce offset by the sauerkraut and tiny kick from the secret sauce is just so delicious,” she says. “Trust me.”

INGREDIENTS

Secret sauce:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1½ teaspoons Calabrian chili pepper paste

1 tablespoon creamy horseradish

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

Corned beef sandwiches:

6 full-size pretzel buns

Dijon mustard

1½ pounds corned beef, thinly sliced

1 pound Swiss cheese

Olive oil

6 eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper

Sauerkraut to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, Calabrian chile pepper paste, horseradish and salt to taste, whisking until smooth. Set aside.
2. Slather each pretzel bun with a little Dijon mustard on one side and secret sauce on the other. Place on baking sheet.
3. Top the bottom half of each pretzel roll with several slices of corned beef and top with Swiss cheese. Place another slice of Swiss cheese on the other half of the pretzel bun. Broil sandwiches — open face — until the cheese is melted on both halves, watching closely to make sure you don’t overdo it.
4. Working in batches, heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet and cook 1 egg per sandwich until set, but still a little runny in the middle. Sprinkle with Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, then transfer each egg to a sandwich. Finish with sauerkraut, more secret sauce and the bun top. Serve as is or slice in half for smaller portions.

Makes 6 full-size or 12 appetizer-size sandwiches

— Courtesy Sonya Keister, “” (Keister, $40)

Colcannon

is a delicious rustic dish of mashed potatoes moistened with milk and butter and mixed with cabbage and onions,” writes award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas. “It’s a St. Patrick’s Day favorite served with corned beef.”

Out of the oven, Thomas likes to put the casserole on a large heatproof platter and surround the colcannon with roasted carrots for color and added flavor. “For the colcannon I use an oval gratin dish that is 15 inches long and 9 inches wide in the center,” Thomas says.

“If time permits, I look for Irish white cheddar cheese,” Thomas continues. “Often, sharp Bally Cashel Irish white cheddar cheese is available at Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find it use a domestic brand, or Havarti cheese. The dish can be prepared 2 hours in advance and refrigerated unbaked; increase baking time by 4 or 5 minutes.”

INGREDIENTS

Butter for greasing heat-proof oval gratin dish

½ small head green cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped into 1-inch lengths

5 large baking potatoes, such as Russets, peeled and cut into chunks

5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1 bunch green onions, trimmed and sliced (include about ½ of dark green stalks)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup grated (4 ounces) white Cheddar cheese or Havarti cheese

Optional garnish: finely chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Grease an oven-proof oval gratin pan with butter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook cabbage in large pot of boiling, salted water until tender, about 2 minutes. Scoop out cabbage (reserve cooking liquid) and drain in colander. Give the colander a good shake to remove excess water.
3. Cook potatoes in same pot in the cabbage water until tender. Drain and mash in a ricer or electric mixer (not a food processor), adding the pieces of butter. Stir in drained cabbage and green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Spread mixture on prepared dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until heated through and cheese bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings

— Cathy Thomas (@CathyThomas Cooks.com)

Irish Inspired Frittata

“When St. Patrick’s Day comes around, I start to think about an Irish-inspired dinner,” writes Linda Gassenheimer. “Here’s a quick festive one that includes sausage, potatoes, eggs and the secret ingredient that brings out the flavors – beer.”

INGREDIENTS

½ pound red or yellow potato cubes (about 2 cups)

4 whole eggs

½ cup skim milk

¼ cup chopped chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 sausage links, (about 3 ounces each)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup sliced white and pale green parts of leek

½ cup beer

2 slices Irish soda bread (or other bread)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Wash potatoes do not and cut into ½-inch pieces. Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high 2 minutes. Set aside.
3. Whisk eggs and milk together and add chives salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cut sausage links into ¼-inch slices.
5. Heat oil in a large skillet and add the sausage slices, leek and potatoes. Saute 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Add beer and cook to reduce.
7. Add egg mixture lower heat to medium and cook 10 minutes until the mixture starts to set. Place under broiler about 6 inches from the heat. Broil 2 minutes to brown top. Watch to see if it browns and doesn’t burn.
8. Serve with Irish soda bread or any bread.

Yield 2 servings

— Linda Gassenheimer, Tribune News Service

Contributing: Kate Bradshaw, Bay Area News Group; Linda Gassenheimer, Tribune News Service; Cathy Thomas, Southern California News Group