Bord Bia - Irish Food Board
The flavour shows where the best grass grows
Make these Irish recipes with our succulent grass-fed beef
It’s the sweet grass of Ireland that makes some of the most luscious, tender beef in the world, and the perfect ingredient for some of our favourite recipes and traditional Irish food here at Grasstronomy Farm. From beef burgers to Irish beef stew – we’ve plenty of ideas for you to try. Enjoy!
This classic dish is just so delicious there’s no wonder that it has lasted the test of time. Use the best dry-aged steaks you can find and make sure you give them plenty of time to rest before serving them – this allows all the juices to settle.
These beef burgers are so simple to make and when served with a colourful salsa, they make a fresh and healthy meal. We think the soy sauce and chilli add an extra zing!
Come rain or shine, we love a burger – especially one with a gourmet twist! Top tip: don’t be tempted to squash the beef burgers against the BBQ or grill, as this will force all the tasty juices out and result in a very dry burger.
Try to slice the beef as thinly as you can but it doesn’t matter if it is not too perfect, a little bit of rough texture gives plenty of character to the finished plates. It really is an great dish for a dinner party or special occasion and is bound to impress.
Anything with corn or soft flour tortillas seems to be popular with children – and these beef enchiladas are packed with loads of flavour and fun! They also leave very little washing up, which is always a bonus!
The secret to a good hash brown is to keep breaking up the mixture and stirring the brown, crispy bits into the centre of the pan. Traditionally it is made with salted or pickled beef but this recipe uses minced beef.
Variations of these kebabs are found across the whole of the eastern Mediterranean and right up to northern India. The succulent, seasoned beef mixture is perfectly matched by the cooling mint yoghurt.
Treat your guests to one of the very best cuts of beef – a fillet – enclosed in mushrooms and puff pastry. Named after the Duke of Wellington in 1851, this classic recipe is always a winner.
We think this is a wonderful way to jazz up a fillet steak. Black pudding and beetroot make a lovely dressing, with the crispy bacon providing a welcome crunch to the texture of the dish.
These beef burgers are also delicious when served with some spicy potato wedges. If the sun is shining, we cook them on the BBQ, otherwise a griddle pan on the cooker works just as well.
This is a fabulous open sirloin steak sandwich with a whole host of wonderful flavours. The base is bruschetta, which is basically soft country toast and makes this a meal in itself.
We think the deeply savoury, slightly smoky crust that comes from searing the fillet of beef on a really hot barbecue contrasts perfectly with the fresh, cool salad.
A big pot of chilli is brilliant for feeding a hungry crowd and the beauty of it is that it can be made in advance and reheated. In fact, leaving it overnight will allow the flavours to deepen even further. We like it with tortilla chips but it’s also yummy with baked potatoes, warm soft flour tortillas or rice, depending on what you fancy.
This recipe may look a bit complicated but it’s well worth the effort. Even better, this is a dish that actually benefits from being prepared the day before you plan to serve it. The perfect stand-by for a dinner party!
We’re not sure you can beat a simple beef steak in a rich, creamy sauce served with a few roasted new potatoes, some buttered spinach and a refreshing leaf salad. Delicious!
A really good cheeseburger has to be made from really good beef. If you can ask a butcher to mince some rump, blade or chuck steak for you but make sure it has 20 per cent fat content as this will in effect make them self basting and prevent them from drying out during cooking. Otherwise buy ordinary minced beef from the supermarket, but don’t buy extra-lean mince because the burgers will become as tough as old boots during cooking.
Great-tasting beef and potatoes are old favourites on the Irish dinner table, just like this brilliant fillet steak and potato cake recipe. Keep it simple, you can’t go wrong
It may be a simple recipe, but we can’t think of a better way to impress someone special than with a gorgeous cut of tenderloin beef steak smothered in this velvety smooth sauce.
A great Italian sauce that is excellent when served with a good fillet steak and some chunky red wine. It needs to be served immediately after it’s cooked, so don’t make it too far in advance.
Homemade hamburgers not only taste delicious but can be made so healthy too. Remember not to leave them on the heat for too long as this can dry the meat out – you want a nice juicy burger. We like our guacamole with a bit of bite so for best results, don’t over-mash the avocado and perhaps leave some nice, chunky bits in.
These days I hear there is less fillet and striploin being sold and rib-eye has become more popular. It is good value. I always bring steaks to room temperature by removing them from the fridge 30 minutes before I want to cook them. This butter will complement any grilled meat and it looks great.
Beetroot together with horseradish makes a great accompaniment to beef cooked under the grill. If you can’t find fresh horseradish, simply use three tablespoons of ready-grated horseradish, available in jars from most major supermarkets.
Using shrimp paste here gives these fantastic beef skewers a brilliantly authentic flavour. It’s easily found in specialist stores (in small tubs), and once opened keeps quite well in the fridge. Otherwise, you might like to try substituting it with Chinese five-spice powder.
What better way to put those leftovers from your Sunday roast to good use than with this traditional Irish beef stew?
These meatballs are a great way to use minced beef. They’re so easy to make and a firm favourite with us all at Grasstronomy Farm!
Keep it simple with this one-pot wonder. A really cosy, healthy beef recipe that’s easy to cook with very little washing up afterwards!
These delicious meatballs use the aromatic Moroccan spice paste Ras el-hanout, which is typically made with allspice, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and cumin seeds, ginger and peppercorns (usually available in your supermarket’s ‘world foods’ section). We love to serve these in lettuce leaves – it makes for a really relaxed and enjoyable meal.
This dish is full of fresh, clean flavours with a sauce that is similar to teriyaki but not quite as sweet. Shitake mushrooms are excellent in Oriental dishes because they have a pronounced mushroomy scent and a taste that stands up well to robust flavours. Don’t bother to wash or peel them – just wipe with a damp paper towel if needed.
This dish was enjoyed by the famous Pavarotti, who helped launch Quality Irish Beef in Italy. It’s simple to prepare but with the fillet of beef as the main hero here, it really is something special.
If you like Thai Curry dishes, then you’ll love this spicy beef curry! Make it as hot or as mild as you wish by adjusting the quantity of red curry paste and chillies.
This dish has to be the ultimate treat for a special occasion but be careful not to overcook the beef. The Dauphinoise potatoes can be also made in advance, covered in foil and reheated in individual portions for about 20 minutes, at the same oven temperature as for the beef.
Look out for good quality beef sausages in your local butchers or most of the larger supermarkets now have a range with a high meat content which are perfect for this recipe. The garlic mash is quite subtle and gives the dish a wonderful lift.
This is a really delicious yet easy sauce for pasta. It’s brilliant because it can be made well in advance, then reheated gently and combined with the sliced steak before serving on a bed of glossy pasta. Rigatoni is perfect here because it holds its shape well but you could always try substituting with penne.
Kids just seem to love this dish – luckily these healthy beef fajitas are very good for them and packed full of protein. You might want to keep a packet of flour tortillas handy once the rest of the clan get a taste of these!
Sometimes you want something tasty and delicious but just don’t feel like cooking a full meal. For such a situation, this dish is perfect! If you want to make it even more substantial, try serving it with crisp, fat chips and watch how quickly the plates are cleared!
We think this fabulous pud is well worth making it from scratch, so that the delicious meat juices soak into the suet pastry as the whole thing cooks. It looks amazing served simply wrapped in a folded, clean white napkin with bowls of mashed potatoes and buttered peas.
This French classic has stood the test of time. It’s impossible to beat a perfectly cooked piece of filet mignon served with a rich, creamy sauce and some fat chunky chips. A refreshing watercress salad on the side is the perfect accompaniment.
We find that serving this tangy, and slightly spicy tomato ketchup dressing at BBQs together with some really top-notch beef kebabs is quite popular with the kids!
Succulent beef steaks and gorgeously sweet vegetables – you couldn’t ask for a more perfect combination. We like to add a splash of thick, honeyed balsamic vinegar – try it and find yourself in heaven!
This beef steak recipe with its fruity Asian twist not only makes an impressive dish when entertaining guests, but is also incredibly speedy to make!
This white bean purée is a great alternative to creamy mashed potatoes and every bit as moreish. We’ve paired it with some minute steaks, which literally take 3 minutes to cook.
This is a great dish when you’ve got plenty of people to feed yet want to be free to enjoy their company. It can be made up to two days in advance and the flavour just continues to improve.
This Thai curry is very quick and easy to prepare but then need to be simmered very gently until the beef is meltingly tender. Keep you eye out in the supermarket for the authentic readymade curry pastes flavoured with chilli, ginger, garlic, lemon grass and spices.
We’re very fond of this fantastic, healthy beef salad. You may need to ask your butcher to cut the steak especially for you, otherwise simply reduce the cooking time accordingly.
Resident nutritionist Julie Dowsett shares her musings on staying healthy with beef.
