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Leprechauns, shamrocks, and green beer come flooding into the brain with the very mention of St. Patrick's Day, but I like to honor the old patron by eating big heaps of greens, some potatoes to remember the famine, a little green-grass-fed beef, and, of course, some cold Guinness (which will, mercifully, remain black -- it seems impervious to green food coloring).
· Corned beef -- The traditionalists' cut of choice. "Corn" here refers, obliquely, to brining, the process of adding salt to tenderize a cut of meat; "corn" used to be synonymous with "grain," which describes the shape of the coarse salt traditionally used for brining. I find the very long cooking time (traditional methods call for as much as seven or eight hours) for brisket to be unrealistic, so I just blast the beast in my pressure cooker along with some beef stock and onions for about 45 minutes, until it just falls apart. If I have time and am feeling health-conscious, I'll separate out the fat too, but I often just inhale it as is, with plenty of good salt (I like to smoke up the flavor a bit with smoked paprika salt) and pepper.
· Herbed potatoes -- While the beef cooks, set a pot of peeled Yukon Gold (or other) potatoes to boil, and make some herb pesto in the meantime. I find that potatoes and oregano go very well together, so my standard combination is about two cups of fresh oregano leaves (though you can also you use fresh basil, tarragon, parsley, or cilantro, or a combo of any of those) into the blender, plus enough fresh olive oil to make the blender whir, and some healthy pinches of salt and pepper (add a clove of garlic, too, if you want, and even a dollop of plain yogurt to lighten it up a bit). When the potatoes are tender, mash them in a bowl, together with as much pesto as pleases you. Sprinkle on more salt and pepper.
· Greens -- The greens couldn't be simpler: Take two pounds of your favorite winter green (chard, kale, spinach, collards, though remove the backbones if they look too fibrous-y) or a combo of all of them, and cook in boiling water until they're tender, usually about five minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, squeeze as much water out of them as possible with your hands, and drizzle on some good green extra virgin olive oil, along with a splash of your favorite vinegar and plenty of salt and pepper.
· Guinness -- Remove from fridge, pour in a tall glass, and remember how lucky your life has been so far!
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