7 Mouthwatering Baked Irish Main Dishes

Like all cuisines worldwide, Irish cuisine has evolved in parallel with history. It is founded on the abundance of resources in Ireland, from the amazing crops to cattle and fresh fish to seafood caught from the Atlantic Ocean surrounding the island.

After the Tudor invasion, there was a great shift in Irish cuisine and diet, with more reliance on potatoes after grains and meat were adopted as cash crops. In the past years, traditional Irish dishes began to make their way back into the lives of modern Irish people.

Baking is a warm form of cooking; Irish cuisine has many baked dishes and assortments, from full meals to desserts to signature bread, distinguishing Irish cuisine from other cuisines.

In this article, we’ll get to know the different goods and luscious baked Irish main dishes. Get ready to get stuffed!

Black Pudding

Black pudding is a form of sausage native to the UK and Ireland. It dates back to Medieval times and is one of the oldest forms of sausages in the world. Historically, at Halloween celebrations, when locals sacrificed livestock, they left nothing to go to waste, so they used the animals’ blood to make black pudding. Additional ingredients included pig fat and oatmeal groats or barley. You can find black pudding at your local grocers in a transparent casing. If, however, you want to make it at home with your own spice addition, you can use this recipe to enjoy a staple in Irish cuisine, especially in a traditional Irish breakfast.

Recipe

Cooking time: 1 ½ hours, plus cooling time.

Ingredients

• 4 cups pig blood.
• 1 cup of milk.
• 2 cups finely chopped pork or beef fat.
• 2 ½ cups of water.
• 1 ½ cups pinhead oats.
• 1 large onion, finely chopped.
• 2 ½ teaspoons salt.
• 1 ½ teaspoon pepper.
• 1 teaspoon allspice, or paprika or cayenne. 

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
• Stir one teaspoon of salt into the blood.
• Grease two loaf pans with fat, preferably glass.
• In a pot, bring the water to a boil and stir in the oats for 15 minutes until they’re soft.
• For a smoother texture, you can strain the blood through a sieve.
• Add all the remaining ingredients to the blood and mix well.
• Add the oatmeal to the blood mixture and divide the mixture into the two loaf pans.
• Cover the pans with foil and bake for 1 hour until the pudding is firm.
• Let the pudding cool completely before sealing it with clingfilm and storing it in the fridge.
• To serve, you can cut 1-centimetre-thick slices and fry in fat or butter until the edges are crisp and brown.

Pióg an Aoire or Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie is a hearty dish made with ground meat and vegetables, topped with silky smooth mashed potato with perfect golden colour and crispy edges. This dish’s origins go back to the 1700s when housewives tried their best to make use of everything they had and repurposed leftovers to make one of Ireland’s favourite dishes to this day. Since every family made use of their leftovers, several recipes for Shepherd’s Pie developed over the years. The principal ingredients remain the same, though: ground meat, vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes.

Shepherd’s Pie is also known as Cottage Pie but with a different variation of ground meat. The former uses ground lamb, while the latter contains ground beef. Today, Shepherd’s Pie is a comforting and celebratory dish and you will find it on the table at every celebration.

Recipe

Cooking time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Ingredients for the pie filling

• ½ kilo ground lamb.
• 1 cup mixed peas and chopped carrots.
• ½ cup corn kernels.
• 1 cup beef stock.
• 1 cup chopped white onion.
• 2 minced garlic cloves.
• 2 TBS olive oil.
• 2 TBS all-purpose flour.
• 2 TBS tomato sauce.
• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce.
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley.
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme.
• ½ teaspoon salt.
• ½ teaspoon black pepper.

Ingredients for the potato topping

• 680 grams russet potatoes, peeled and diced.
• 1 stick unsalted butter.
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
• 1/3 cup half milk and half cream.
• ½ teaspoon salt.
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder.

Instructions

• In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil.
• Add the onions and sauté until translucent.
• Add the ground beef and break it apart, then add the spices: salt, pepper, parsley, thyme and rosemary.
• Stir the beef occasionally until it’s all cooked. It should all be brown-coloured.
• Stir in the garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
• Follow with the tomato sauce and flour and mix well to make sure everything is well combined.
• Add the vegetables and lightly stir before adding the beef stock.
• Bring the filling to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 7 minutes.
• Turn the heat off and preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
• To make the potato topping, add the diced potatoes to a large pot and cover them with water.
• Bring the water to a boil before lowering the heat and letting the potatoes cook for 12 minutes until they’re tender.
• Turn the heat off, strain the potatoes, put them back into the pot and let them rest for 5 minutes to allow the steam to cool.
• Add all the remaining ingredients: the butter, salt, pepper and the half-milk-half-cream cup.
• Mash the potatoes well and make sure all the ingredients are well combined.
• Add the cheese and mix well.
• Lightly grease a 7×11 baking dish with butter, pour the pie mixture in and spread evenly.
• Spoon the mashed potatoes on top and smooth out.
• To protect your oven from possible spills, place the baking dish onto a rimmed tray.
• Bake the pie in the oven for 30 minutes, uncovered.
• Let your pie rest for 15 minutes before digging in.

Shepherd’s Pie stores well in the fridge and will fill your soul anytime. Whether you have a good day or a bad one, serve yourself a comforting slice.

Mini Shepherd’s Pies

What’s more delightful than a Shepherd’s Pie? Mini Shepherd’s Pies!

The smaller version of this lovely pie makes it more appealing, and it’s a great party dish where everyone gets to have their own pie. However, who can have enough Shepherd’s Pie? Additionally, they are a great way to entertain the kids, especially when they have friends over so everyone can have their own little pie. What’s even more? They are great to include in lunch boxes and take on picnics as well.

Because we’re making individual pies, this recipe is a tad different from the original Shepherd’s Pie in that we use pie crust to make the little pie cup. All the other elements are quite similar, though.

Recipe

Cooking time: 1 hour.

Ingredients

• ½ kilo ground lamb.
• 1 kilo store-bought pie crust.
• ½ cup beef stock.
• 1 cup frozen peas.
• 1 cup canned corn.
• 4 TBS all-purpose flour.
• 2 TBS butter.
• 2 TBS olive oil.
• 2 carrots, chopped.
• 1 large onion, finely chopped.
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
• 1 ½ cups of mashed potatoes.
• Cooking spray to grease the muffin tin.

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
• Grease your muffin tin and place it aside.
• Lightly flour your working surface and use a cookie cutter or a cup to cut the pie circles, then place them in the muffin tin. Press lightly on the pie crust.
• Bake the pie crusts until they’re golden, a maximum of 8 minutes and take them out of the oven.
• To make the pie filling, in a large skillet, add the olive oil and lightly cook the onions.
• Add the carrots and the garlic and cook until the carrots have softened.
• Add the ground meat and cook until the meat browns, then drain the excess fat.
• Add the remaining vegetables, the peas and the corn and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add the butter, followed by the flour and mix well with the meat mixture until well combined.
• Add the beef stock and mix everything well together before bringing it to a boil.
• Let the mixture simmer for 3 minutes before turning off the heat and letting it cool for about 10 minutes.
• Add a spoonful of the mixture into each individual pie and cover with the mashed potatoes.
• Brown the potato layer in the oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

It’s tempting to devour these miniature pies right out of the oven, but let them rest and cool for nearly 10 minutes before serving first.

Beef and Guinness Pie

Guinness is a traditional Irish dry stout that dates back to the mid-18^th century. This deep-flavoured stout is widely used in cooking for the deep and unique flavour it adds to the food. The beef and Guinness pie is a perfect meal to add to your St Patrick’s Day celebrations or to make on weekends. This mouthwatering pie of beef and vegetables covered with delicious gravy will keep you and your loved ones warm during cold winter nights. So, let’s make this nutritious and delicious pie together.

Recipe

Cooking time: 3 hours, plus cooling time.

Ingredients

• 750 grams of cubed beef steak.
• 2 cups of water.
• 3 TBS vegetable oil.
• 2 TBS regular flour.
• 1 medium onion, chopped.
• 1 large carrot, sliced.
• 1 can of Guinness, 440 ml.
• 1 cube of beef stock.
• 1 sprig thyme.
• 1 pack of shortcrust pastry, 375 grams.
• 1 beaten egg yolk.

Instructions

• In a large pan, heat half the oil, brown all the meat cubes and remove.
• In the same pan, add the remaining oil and the vegetables to brown.
• Add the flour and coat the vegetables well.
• Add the Guinness and stir well to dissolve the flour, and make sure to scrape the sides for any remains.
• Crumble in the beef stock and put the beef cubes back into the pan.
• Stir well and add water as needed to cover all the ingredients.
• Cover and let cook until meat is tender, about one and a half hours.
• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
• Let the meat cool, remove the thyme before transferring it to a large pie pan and pour all the sumptuous juices over it to cover it completely.
• Slightly roll the pastry if needed to match the pan’s size and cover the pan with it. You can use a fork to pinch down the edges of the pie, then make a small slit in the middle to let the steam out as the pie cooks in the oven.
• Brush the surface with the beaten egg for a perfect golden colour.
• Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the crust is golden and shiny.

Let the pie cool slightly before serving it alongside mashed potatoes and any remaining pie gravy for extra flavour. If you’ve got some slices of soda bread, they’d be incredible to dip into the gravy too!

Cheesy Cabbage Gratin

Imagine a chilling winter day, and all you want to return to is a good, hearty dish that wipes away the day’s tiredness. The original recipe is for potato gratin, but this cabbage alternative is equally delicious, filling, healthy, and easy to make. Our cabbage gratin is a double bake; we will bake the cabbage first to cut the final baking time so you can quickly enjoy this yummy meal. It’s one of those dishes we like to think follow Nigella Lawson’s relaxed cooking. When you get home, prepare the first part of your dish and let it cook until you’ve freshened up and then get back to preparing the remaining part. Let’s see what this recipe has for us.

Recipe

Cooking time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 medium green or white cabbage.
• 2 cups heavy cream.
• 1 cup gouda cheese, shredded.
• ½ cup Parmesan, grated.
• 2 TBS olive oil.
• 1 teaspoon salt.
• 1 teaspoon black pepper.
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg.
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced.
• 3 sprigs of thyme.

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
• Cut your cabbage into eight lengthwise wedges, place on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Roast the cabbage for 45 minutes, turning them during halftime.
• In a large bowl, mix the cream, nutmeg, garlic and the Parmesan and set it aside.
• Transfer the cabbage to your baking dish, and add the cream mixture, then add the thyme.
• Top the dish well with the gouda cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese melts and bubbles, the cream thickens, and the cabbage is golden.

No need to wait this time—pull up a chair and dig in!

Corned Beef Brisket

Our list wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t include the juicy and sumptuous beef brisket. This favourable cut of meat is common in Reuben sandwiches, but it can also go well as the centrepiece for your meal, with sides of mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes, golden roasted cabbage, roasted carrots and roasted parsnips. Corned here means curing the meat in a salty solution, but for this recipe, we’ll be roasting the brisket in the oven to end up with a juicy, tender and utterly yummy brisket.

Recipe

Cooking time: 3 hours, 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ kilos of beef brisket.
• ¼ cup brown sugar.
• 2 teaspoons black pepper.
• ½ allspice seeds.
• ½ coriander seeds.
• ½ cloves.
• You can choose to use ground spices or grind them together before covering the meat for extra flavour. You can also use whichever spice mix you want and have.

Instructions

• Fit the roasting rack onto the roasting tray and place the brisket fat side up.
• If you’re using ground spices, mix the allspice, cloves and coriander.
• In another bowl, mix the brown sugar with the black pepper, then add the spice mix.
• Cover the brisket generously with the spice mix, then cover it tightly with foil.
• Add 6 cups of water to the roasting tray and roast for 2 hours.
• Take the foil off, then roast for one more hour or more, depending on how you like your meat.

Rest for 15 minutes before carving, and you’ve got yourself five days’ worth of delicious roasted meat!

Jambon

Flaky golden pastry filled with melted cheese and succulent ham, Jambon became a favourite dish in Ireland during the 1990s. To some extent, Jambon resembles Danish pastries, and they seem to follow the “Food on the go” trend, where it’s easy to pick something filling to grab and eat on the road. There are many varieties of Jambon today; some substitute the ham, and some substitute the cheese to appeal more to vegetarians. We can’t call Jambon a main dish. However, many people depend on it as a nutritious dish to eat when they want to enjoy something filling, delicious and light!

Recipe

Cooking time: 45 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 pack puff pastry.
• 2 cups Dubliner cheese, shredded.
• 1 cup ham, finely diced.
• 1 egg.
• 2 TBS water.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
• Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• If your puff pastry is one large sheet, you need to cut it into even squares so your parcels will be the same size. If the pastry is numerous sheets, slightly roll them out and cut them into even squares.
• Depending on what size you make your squares, add cheese and ham in the middle of the pastry.
• Pinch the corners of the square together in the centre.
• Whisk the egg with the water and lightly brush each square.
• Bake for a maximum of 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Your kitchen will smell like a bakery early in the morning when all the ovens are on, and only goodness is cooking inside when you’re making these parcels. Be careful; they’ll be gone in minutes!

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