St. Patrick’s Day Dinner in Breckenridge, at Home

March 17 lands in the middle of the spring ski season, and in Breckenridge that means full lodges, long lift lines on the weekend and a town where every table is spoken for by six o’clock. A St Patricks Day dinner in Breckenridge is easy to picture and harder to pull off for a group of eight with two kids.

This guide is for families and friends with a rental booked over the holiday. By the end you will know what the evening tends to look like in town, how the four ways to spend it compare, what to cook if you want an Irish-style night, and how to book a seated four-course meal at the house instead.

What mid-March looks like in Breckenridge

The holiday falls in one of the fullest stretches of the winter. Many schools take their spring break in March, the snow is often at its deepest and the days are long enough to ski until the lifts close. Put those together and you get a town that is busy every night of the week, with the 17th busier still.

For a visiting group, that shapes the evening in three ways:

1. Tables are scarce. A party of eight or ten is hard to seat anywhere on a holiday night in peak season.
2. The night runs late. Celebrations in town lean toward the bar crowd, which is not where the kids want to be.
3. Everyone is tired. After a full day on the mountain, the walk or drive into town feels longer than it did at breakfast.

Why the day is celebrated at all

The holiday began as a religious feast day for the saint credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. The American party grew from there: according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s facts on Irish-American heritage and the holiday, the first parade was held in New York City on March 17, 1762, by Irish soldiers serving in the English military.

St. Patricks Day dinner in Breckenridge: four ways to spend the night

There are four realistic ways to handle the evening. The table below compares them on what matters after a ski day.

A grazing night is the lightest option. Our platter service catering covers cheese and fruit, shrimp cocktail and vegetables with hummus, laid out and ready when you walk in from the slopes.

Irish-style ideas for a night you cook

If someone in your group loves to cook and wants the full theme, here is general advice for an Irish-inspired dinner at the rental. These are ideas for a night you cook, not a menu from us.

• Bread first. Soda bread needs no yeast and no rising time, so it can go in the oven while everyone showers.
• One slow main. Corned beef and cabbage is the best-known American choice. A beef stew or a shepherd’s pie feeds a crowd just as well.
• A potato side. Colcannon, mashed potatoes folded with cabbage or kale, works with any of the mains.
• Something simple to finish. A bought cake or a plate of shortbread with coffee is plenty after a big main.

Start the braise early at altitude

At 9,600 feet, water boils at a lower temperature than at sea level, so anything simmered for hours takes longer to turn tender. Add time to any recipe that relies on a long braise, and check it with a thermometer and a fork rather than the clock. Our guide to cooking at high altitude in Breckenridge explains the adjustments in detail.

What a St. Patrick’s Day private chef cooks

We do not have a holiday menu for March 17, and we will not pretend otherwise. What we do have are hearty dishes that suit a cold March evening, cooked in your kitchen while you change out of your ski gear. Every dinner runs to four courses. A warming combination from the dishes we already cook:

• Starter: stuffed mushrooms with sausage, or a brie cheese and fruit platter.
• Soup or salad: dinner salad with gorgonzola and walnuts, or Greek avgolemono soup.
• Entrée: grilled pork tenderloin au jus with roasted red potatoes and a sautéed vegetable medley, or beef fillet with asparagus.
• Dessert: tiramisu or a fruit tart.

The green napkins, the shamrocks on the table and the playlist are up to you. The full list of dishes is on our menus and pricing page, and if anyone at the table is gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan or has a food allergy, mention it when you book.

How the evening runs

With our private chef dine-in catering, the chef shops, arrives at your rental, cooks there, serves each course at the table and leaves the kitchen clean.

Kids, drinks and the rest of the week

With kids

Children can eat, leave the table and come back, which a packed dining room on a holiday night does not allow. Children under 12 are half price.

With drinks

Whatever the adults want to raise a glass with comes from your own fridge. Drinks land harder at altitude, so keep water on the table; our guide to eating at high altitude in Breckenridge explains why. Buying bottles for the meal? See how much wine for a dinner party.

The other nights

If your trip covers the whole week, our guide to hiring a spring break private chef in Breckenridge covers which nights to book and how to feed kids and adults together. Staying into May, or planning ahead for another holiday at the house? Read about hosting a Cinco de Mayo party at your rental.

Booking and cost

March is one of the busiest months for chef bookings, so reserve the dinner when you book the rental, then confirm the head count and dietary needs closer to the date.

Menus start at $79 per person, and the final number depends on the menu, the size of the group and the style of service. The groceries, the cooking, table service, sales tax and the clean-up are all included. For a party of 6 or more, a server’s fee may apply and a gratuity may be added.

Frequently asked questions