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ST. PATRICK’S DAY DINNER PARTY
You don’t have to be Irish to get in on the St. Patrick’s
Day fun. It’s a holiday celebrated by the masses.
Hosting a party in honor of St. Pat is a great excuse
for a mid-March celebration. It takes little more than a menu of burgers, beer and Bailey’s to get the party started. So raise a frosty glass and, as the Irish would say: “May your home always be too small to hold all your friends” and “If you’re enough lucky to be Irish, you’re lucky enough!”
SETTING THE SCENE
Potato Place Card Holders
Whether serving this meal as a sit-down dinner or a buffet, you can make your own potato place card holders to use for place settings or labeling food on your buffet. Print the names on regular printer paper. Using a business card as a template, trace the shape on the back of the paper behind each name so it’s centered in the template. Cut the name cards out, lay them flat on a table, place a toothpick in the center of each and affix it to the name card with a single piece of tape. Stick the toothpick into a potato, using the potato as the place card holder. If your potato is wobbly, slice a thin strip off of one side to create a flat surface for the potato to rest on (just be sure to place a sliced potato on a plate or napkin to prevent damage to your table or tablecloth).
Sow Your Oats
Oats are a staple in Ireland, so use this inexpensive dry cereal as an earthy decoration for your St. Patrick’s Day party. Place a large mound of dry oats on a long rectangular platter. Nestle three green or white pillar candles in the oats for a festive centerpiece. You can also use dry oats as a vase filler in a hurricane candle vase with a single pillar candle centered in the oats.
Irish Beer Blind Taste Test
While Guinness is Ireland’s most well-known brew, there are several other authentic Irish beers that your guests might prefer. Serve a flight of stouts, such as Guinness, Murphy’s and Beamish, in juice glasses. Give each person a sample of all three and have them identify the differences and nuances. Take a vote to see who likes which stout sample the best. Serve full-size glasses of each person’s favorite.
Hip Tips
Buy or download some traditional Irish music and play it throughout the party.
Bells of Ireland are beautiful, inexpensive flowers with modern appeal. Place a bunch in a tall, thin vase for a high-impact centerpiece.
Use a traditional Irish wool blanket or scarf as a tablecloth or table runner. Put place mats over the blanket to protect it from stains.
St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect time to use those Waterford or other hand-cut crystal serving pieces you have been saving for a special occasion. They showcase Ireland’s long tradition of crystal crafting.
THE MENU
Forget about corned beef and cabbage. There are plenty of other tasty ways to celebrate the Emerald Isle. Here’s a modern menu for a casual St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
St. Patrick’s Day Menu
| Irish brown bread crostini with goat cheese and arugula | |
| Irish cheddar served with sliced green apples | |
| Guinness burgers with caramelized onions and Irish cheddar | |
| Sweet potato fries | |
| Cabbage slaw | |
| Bailey’s Irish cream truffles | |
| Green velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting | |
| Guinness | |
| Hard cider | |
| Irish coffee |
Hip Tips
Serve bottles of Guinness from a large plastic cauldron-style pot reminiscent of a pot of gold. Top with ice and chocolate gold coins.
Mashed potato shooters (served in tall shot glasses) are always a fun appetizer. Set out a platter with small dishes of traditional potato toppings, such as bacon crumbles, sour cream and chives. Let guests top their own shooters. Just be sure to serve the taters with small spoons since they won’t actually be drinkable.
Serve a cheese platter featuring Irish cheese, such as Coolea (similar to Gouda), Dubliner (a mature cheddar with the sweet aftertaste of Reggiano), Cahill’s Guinness-laced Cheddar and Cashel Blue (a creamy blue cheese). Serve with brown bread or hearty crackers.
Ilana Eck is an attorney by day and the Hip Hostess by night. She writes a food and entertaining blog, www.hiphostessblog.com, offering recipes, tips and ideas for hosting with style. Ilana lives in New York City with her husband, Etienne, and doesn’t let her small space stop her from entertaining at home.
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