Full Irish Breakfast

A traditional full Irish breakfast that is a rich and hearty meal perfect for a weekend breakfast or a cozy, weeknight dinner. This dish is the ultimate comfort food.

Originally published March 17, 2016.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! In honor of this holiday, I decided it was only appropriate to make some traditional Irish food – Irish breakfast. Now, I have never been to Ireland before, but my husband (who lived in England for two years) was served an Irish breakfast by a native Irish man and his wife. Whenever I mention it, he sits back in a sort of remembrance food coma, thinking on the time he indulged in the ultimate “man’s” dish as he says.

What is included in a traditional full Irish breakfast?

A traditional full Irish breakfast is usually made up of bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, beans, soda bread or toast, tomatoes, mushrooms and white or black pudding.

For those who are wondering, black pudding is coagulated pig’s blood into a sausage form. The white pudding is simply a pork sausage, usually flat.

Since black pudding is something Americans generally aren’t fond of, and a commodity that pretty much can’t be found in the states, I’ve opted to skip that part. But for those of you who enjoy the blood sausage, (gag) good for you, more power to you!

The meal was traditionally cooked in Ireland to prepare you for a long day of work on the farm on a cold winter day. Nowadays, most people eat this meal pretty infrequently, as it’s basically a “heart attack on a plate” which my husband calls it. I prefer eating it for dinner as it is a hearty meal, but it works fine for breakfast too.

I’m afraid my variation of this recipe isn’t completely traditional, as it doesn’t include black pudding, but trust me, Ireland is on our list of places to visit and I will return with more tips and tricks on making the best of the local cuisine. Have a wonderful St. Patty’s Day and eat up!

If you like this recipe, you’ll also want to try my other breakfast recipes.

• Homemade Hawaiian Acai Bowl
• Strawberry Nutella Crepes
• Classic Crepes
• Belgian Liege Waffles with Cookie Butter
• Austrian Pancakes
• Shakshuka with Feta

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Traditional Full Irish Breakfast

A traditional full Irish breakfast is a rich and hearty meal perfect for a weekend breakfast or a cozy, weeknight dinner. This dish is the ultimate comfort food.

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Irish

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 sausages
• 4 eggs
• 4 tomatoes
• 8 pieces bacon
• 1 can pork and beans
• 1 container sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 tbsp butter

Instructions

1. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until browned. Remove from heat and place on a paper towel lined plate.

2. In the same frying pan, add the bacon. Fry until crispy. Remove from heat and place on a paper towel lined plate.

3. Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter to the frying pan. Sauté the mushrooms and tomatoes for a few minutes or until tender. 

4. Fry the eggs in the frying pan. For sunny-side up with a runny yolk, heat the frying pan over medium-high heat. Drop the eggs on to the hot pan and cover. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the eggs reach the desired consistency. 

5. Heat the pork and beans according to the directions on the can.

6. Serve all of the cooked ingredients with a side of soda bread.

Recipe Notes

This recipe can easily be adapted for however many people you are cooking for.

For the bacon, you can also cook it using the oven frying method. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lay the strips of bacon on top. Cook the bacon for 10-20 minutes or until crispy.

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