Every great holiday celebration revolves around food, and St. Patrick’s Day is no exception to that rule. However, knowing what to make is always a hard choice. Never fear; one’s go-to Irish meal plan is within reach!

For the main course, one of the most popular Irish dishes to serve is corned beef and cabbage. According to the Food Network, this dish calls for 2 to 2 ½ pounds of corned-beef brisket, 1 tablespoon of coarsely ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon of ground allspice, 2 bay leaves, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, ½ pound of diced carrots. ½ pound of diced onions, 1 pound of potatoes peeled and chopped (of course), ¼ pound of diced celery and 1 small head of cabbage chopped. This homestyle stew tastes great with any beverage and can serve up to 8 people at one’s party. If one is looking for the perfect, hearty meal, definitely cook some corned beef and cabbage for your family and friends. They will definitely thank you.

As a side with the corned beef and cabbage, one can bake a fresh loaf of Irish soda bread. This unique recipe has been around since the mid-19th century and it has continued to be a St. Patrick’s Day staple ever since. In order to make the perfect Irish soda bread, one must use 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt, 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 1 ¾ cups of cold buttermilk, 1 extra-large egg, 1 teaspoon of grated orange zest and 1 cup of dried currants. Serve some butter along side the bread and be sure to indulge freely!

And, of course, for those who have a sweet tooth, the Irish tradition of making rum raisin rice pudding is a must for dessert. One needs a ¾ cup of raisin, 2 tablespoons of dark rum, ¾ cup of white basmati rice, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, 5 cups of half-and-half, ½ cup of sugar, 1 extra-large egg and 1 ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. The recipe makes 6 to 8 servings and takes about 30 minutes to make. Paired with some nice irish breakfast tea, this treat would be a delicious and festive end to anyone’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. As described by Ina Garten from the Food Network show, Barefoot Contessa, “it’s an easy, fun dessert that tastes great warm or cold.”

Whether one is Irish or not, St. Patrick’s Day is an annual opportunity to try some fabulous foods. And yes, they do, for the most part, contain potatoes. And no, not all Irish traditional foods are green.