Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day With Our Irish Soda Bread and Potato Soup Recipes!

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

If you are celebrating the holiday tomorrow, we have got some traditional Irish recipes for you to try that are sure to impress everyone you know! The following recipes are for Irish soda bread and potato soup. Not only are these recipes delicious, but they’re also simple to pull off. What could be better? Irish soda bread or potato soup would be a great choice for a last-minute potluck idea, or even for family lunch or dinner. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you! (or Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit!)

Irish Soda Bread Recipe:

3.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda (or as the Irish say, bicarbonate of soda!)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1.5 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup currants or raisins

a handful of oats to sprinkle on top if desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix the first four ingredients together. Combine with a whisk to make sure they are well incorporated together. Make a well in the center, and pour all of the buttermilk into the center.
3.  Mix until just combined with a wooden spoon, spatula or claw-hand.
4. Once a coarse dough is formed, add your dried fruit, and stir just enough to evenly spread fruit throughout the loaf. You want to make sure not to over-mix, or the bead will be tough.
5. Shape dough into a large round ball. Sprinkle top with oats, if using. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and score top with a knife. You can do whatever design you like-we recommend a large cross or X shape. This helps the loaf cook evenly.
6. Bake in for 15 minutes, and then turn oven down to 400 degrees F and cook until done. A toothpick or knife should come out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.
7. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting

Enjoy your delicious Irish soda bread loaf. Easy, peasy lemon squeezy! Just like the soda bread, Irish potato soup is also very simple to make, but very tasty.

Potato Soup Recipe:

1 onion, chopped

3 potatoes

2 tbsp butter

4 cup chicken stock

3 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 cup cream

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter in the bottom of a soup pot or pan and add onions and celery. Sautee 3-5 minutes until tender.
2. Peel potatoes if desired, and cube. Add to onion and celery mix, along with broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat. Let simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
3. Add cream and return to a simmer. Mix and cook another 5 minutes.
4. Enjoy your potato soup with a hearty slice of Irish soda bread to sop it up!

We hope you enjoy our recipes for Irish soda bread and potato soup! Let us know if you tried them, and what you thought! Snap a pic and tag us on our social media Instagram @effective.coverage or our Facebook account. Sláinte!

Photo Credit: Kate Remmer