Visit an inn on the Emerald Isle, and you’ll invariably be invited to a traditional Irish breakfast.

Historically, farmers’ wives would serve the following foods to ensure their husbands received a hearty meal—one that often eliminated the need for lunch later in the day.

• Irish tea. No Irish breakfast is complete without a cup of strong Irish tea.
• Eggs. Enjoy a few eggs served sunnyside up, cooked in Irish butter.
• Brown bread. Known for its dark color, this whole-wheat bread is available as an organic mix. Check out Chef Suzanne Goin’s recipe for Irish Brown Scones.
• Potatoes. Boiled, sliced potatoes are served with sliced tomatoes warmed in a pan.
• Beans. Irish baked beans are similar to the American version. They’re cooked in a tomato-based sauce, but they’re unsweetened.
• Bangers. These Irish sausages are made of beef or pork, spices and rusk (toasted bread crumbs). Their name comes from their propensity to bang or burst open while frying at high temperatures. Local butchers like Kingston NY-based Fleisher’s Grass-Fed & Organic Meats offer artisan bangers. Check the meat counter at your local Whole Foods Market.
• Rashers. Similar to Canadian bacon, rashers are softer than American bacon because they’re not cooked to a crisp.

Blog Recipes: A Taste of Ireland

1. Brussels Sprout Hash
2. Mildly Spicy Red Cabbage
3. Potato and Almond Soup
4. Irish Brown Scones

Suzanne Goin

You don’t have to be Irish to enjoy a satisfying St. Patrick's Day feast. In preparation for the March 17 holiday, Organic Authority will feature several recipes over the next few weeks from top chefs here and abroad. Today’s recipe shouldn’t require you to do too much shopping for organic food, as all of the ingredients are kitchen staples.

Chef Suzanne Goin of Lucques in Los Angeles developed the recipe for these savory Brown Scones, recently featured in her new cookbook, Sunday Suppers At Lucques. The secret to successful scones? Don’t overwork the dough.

Brown Scones

Makes 12 scones

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Place the flours, sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor and process 30 seconds, until well combined.
3. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times, until the mixture is a coarse meal.
4. With the machine running, quickly pour in 1 cup of the buttermilk. Stop the machine as soon as the dough comes together. It’s important not to overwork the dough.
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and bring it together with your hands into a large ball. Divide the dough into three pieces, and shape each of them into a 5"-wide disc. Cut each disc into quarters.
6. Brush the tops of the scones with a little buttermilk. Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, until the scones are golden brown.

More Irish Recipes

Mildly Spicy Red Cabbage — Chef Catherine Fulvio of Ballyknocken House in Wicklow, Ireland