Soda Bread Crusted Pork chops & Colcannon Potatoes on WCCO

Soda Bread and Pork Chops: A Perfect St. Patrick's Day Meal

Soda Bread and pork chops make a great St. Patrick's Day meal because they reflect traditional Irish cooking—simple ingredients and hearty flavors.

The Heart of Irish Cooking

Soda Bread was developed in Ireland in the 1800s when baking soda became available. This innovation allowed families to bake bread quickly without yeast. The result is rustic and simple, made with just flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk.

For this meal, you can make the soda bread ahead. Then, call your butcher and ask for 4 French-cut pork chops and 2.5 pounds of potatoes. The potatoes are delicious, enhanced by green onions and thinly sliced cabbage. These recipes were inspired by the Today Show and are included below. For more recipes and information on upcoming cooking classes and tv segments follow Teena on Instagram @teenajoyanderson

How to Make Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

• 1 and 3/4 cups buttermilk

• 1 large egg

• 4 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 5 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

  
  

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. You have options for the baking pan. Use a seasoned 10-12 inch cast iron skillet (no need to preheat unless you want to), or grease a 9-10 inch cake pan. You can also use a 5-quart Dutch oven. Grease or line with parchment paper. If using a Dutch oven, bake the bread with the lid off.

   
   

2. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers. The mixture is heavy on the flour, but do your best to cut in the butter until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.

   
   

3. Pour in the buttermilk and egg mixture. Gently fold the dough together until it becomes too stiff to stir. Transfer the crumbly dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball as best you can, then knead for about 30 seconds or until all the flour is moistened. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

   
   

4. Transfer the dough to the prepared skillet or pan. Using a very sharp knife or bread lame, score the dough with a slash or X about 1/2 inch deep.

   
   

5. Bake until the bread is golden brown and the center appears cooked through, about 45-55 minutes. Loosely tent the bread with aluminum foil if you notice heavy browning on top. For a more accurate test, the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 195°F in the center.

   
   

6. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to a wire rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or toasted with your desired toppings or spreads.

   
   

7. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

   
   

Soda-Breaded Pork Chops with Colcannon Potatoes

Ingredients

Colcannon:

• 2.5 pounds potatoes, peeled and washed (if using red potatoes, leave the peelings on)

• 3/4 cup cream

• 4 spring onions and 4 ounces cabbage, finely chopped

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• Salt to taste

  
  

Pork Chops:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 small shallots, finely chopped

• 1¾ cups fresh soda bread crumbs

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 4 French-trimmed pork chops on the bone

• 3 tablespoons butter

  
  

For the Colcannon:

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, with the largest ones at the bottom. Fill the pan halfway with water. Cover the pan with a lid and place it over high heat. When the water begins to boil, drain off about half so that there is just enough left in the pan for the potatoes to steam. Leave to cook covered for 30–40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes, until soft.

   
   

2. While the potatoes finish cooking, pour the cream into a saucepan and place it over medium heat. Stir in the spring onions or cabbage, butter, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 4 minutes.

   
   

3. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them, then add the cream, butter, and spring onion or cabbage mixture. Season with a little salt and taste.

   
   

For the Pork Chops:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

   
   

2. Add the garlic, shallots, breadcrumbs, mustard, and thyme leaves to a food processor. Season with salt and pepper, and process for 30 seconds.

   
   

3. Transfer the breadcrumb mixture to a bowl. Place the flour and beaten eggs in two separate bowls (or on plates). Dip each pork chop in the flour, followed by the beaten egg, then turn in the mustard breadcrumb mixture to coat.

   
   

4. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over high heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, place the breaded chops in the pan and brown on each side. Then, transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

   
   

A Special Note

In case you are still interested in making corned beef on Tuesday, 3/17/26, we have it ON SALE this weekend! Our favorite crock pot method is below.