Irish

Recipes for green food, whiskey-infused treats, indulgent potato dishes, and other Irish delights abound, but — believe it or not — I'm most partial to an Irish ingredient with humble, hearty origins: oats. So when we received a shipment of three varieties of the Irish grain, my eyes lit up and my stomach immediately began to grumble. A little simmering and stirring later, I sat down to a hearty bowl of each seasoned with naught but a pinch of salt and a pat of butter to let the true texture and flavor of each variety shine. Keep reading to learn which tin (or bag) is right for your morning routine.

From left to right: McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal, Kilbeggan Organic Porridge Oatlets, Flahavan's Irish Steel Cut Oatmeal

McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal

Chances are, if you've had steel-cut oats stateside, McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal was the variety you tucked into. Chewy, dense, and nutty, I consider them to be a standard-bearer of sorts and regularly turn to their gold-bedecked tin when simmering up my morning pot of oats or to add texture to a big batch of baked oatmeal.

Keep reading for my thoughts on Kilbeggan and Flahavan's oaten offerings.

St. Patrick's Day isn't until tomorrow, but we've been celebrating all week. If you don't really have a penchant for black and tans, and the prospect of drinking whiskey straight-up isn't really your thing, then consider raising a glass with the Irish Buck.

On first sip, you'll notice immediately that this cocktail manages to highlight all three of its main ingredients: Irish whiskey, ginger ale, and lime juice. The result is a fizzy, boozy drink that's hop-free yet still channels the fighting Irish spirit. Keep reading to get the party started.

If you're looking to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a big traditional Irish corned beef and cabbage feast, there's just one problem. As it turns out, corned beef and cabbage is not actually a traditional Irish dish. The meal features salt-cured beef, which gets its name from the large "kernels" of salt that covers it during its curing process. But beef was rare and incredibly expensive in Ireland, hardly something that farmers would readily have access to. It was more likely that these boiled dinners would feature some kind of bacon cooked with cabbage.

When the Irish immigrated to the United States, beef was more available and certainly more affordable, and corned beef in particular became an important part of the culture, as it took the place of bacon in the boiled meal. So don't feel disheartened if you had planned to enjoy a boiled dinner of corned beef and cabbage on Sunday, because not only is it a part of the Irish-American St. Patrick's Day tradition, but it's also wholesome and full of slow-cooked flavor.

If you want something a little more creative, enjoy your corned beef on pizza or in a grilled cheese.

Ireland is known for much more than Guinness beer and Jameson. The country is also home to one of the butters most cherished by home and professional cooks alike: Kerrygold. So what makes Kerrygold butter so special?

Let's begin with its appearance: compare Kerrygold (pictured at top) to conventional American butter (shown below). Kerrygold has a deep straw color, rather than the pale, chalky color of standard butter. And no, Kerrygold butter isn't dyed with artificial colors to amp up its golden hue; the dairy cows graze on Ireland's emerald-green grass 10 months out of the year, and the beta-carotene in the fresh grass contributes to the rich color. (In contrast, most conventional dairy cows in America don't have the luxury of grazing freely on green pastures and are fed a diet that consists of corn and soybeans.)

In my opinion, even the greatest beurre Français doesn't hold a candle to Kerrygold in flavor. I'll never forget my first experience eating it: I melted a tablespoon on a hot piece of toast and took a bite. It was the best butter I had ever experienced. I quickly and unapologetically slathered another tablespoon on my toast until it became saturated in the unctuous fat. Creamy and sweet with a pure butter flavor, Kerrygold is so fresh-tasting, it will make you think a farmer has just hand-churned the butter for you that day.

Such a luxurious butter must have an outrageous price tag to match, right? Wrong! At my local Whole Foods, the butter is usually on sale at two for $5. (It should be noted that each Kerrygold stick is the equivalent of two standard American sticks of butter.) It's even available at Trader Joe's. Test Kerrygold butter for yourself and prepare to fall into a passionate butter love affair.

Here are a few recipes I've used Kerrygold butter in:

• Clarified butter
• Cinnamon rolls
• Buttermilk pancakes
• Colcannon
• British scones

Are you a Kerrygold fan, too?