Weird but true (and tasty) St. Patrick's Day action outta Salinas, landing on NBC's Today Show.

If recasting the official color of St. Patrick's Day as a deep burgundy seems like an audacious bit of marketing, that's just how Royal Rose rolls.

Some of the Salinas' produce house's past conceits include:

1) A huge push to start a "salads-for-adults" trend starring its flagship bitter radicchio and alcohol and

2) a concerted effort to slot radicchio as The Next Kale.

So they're not shy.

Part of this St. Paddy's push: kicking traditional eats to the curb, and ushering in the seasonal produce.

At least that what's former Salinas mayor and Royal Rose president Dennis Donohue is talking about.

“Why is it in America that St. Patrick’s Day dining is associated with corned beef and cabbage?” he laments. “It’s springtime, it should be fresh and seasonal produce to reflect the season.”

He got together with Irish chef and award-winning food writer Catherine Fulvio of the Ballyknocken House and Cookery School to create a new St. Patrick’s Day dish.

The result is a warm salad made with roasted potatoes, smoked salmon, thyme, dill, lemon, baby spinach and wilted radicchio.

The recommended dressing comes composed of a combination of cream, Irish Stout, mustard, honey and herbs. 

She'll be on NBC's Today Show tomorrow morning to share the recipe with millions.

Check out the recipe below, and find more radicchio recipes on another recent Food Blog.

••• Warm St. Patrick's Day Salad by Catherine Fulvio •••

Radicchio adds not just an earthy and robust flavor, but a healthy punch to salads like this one—the leaves are rich in antioxidants, magnesium, potassium and vitamins A, B, C and K.

Ingredients (serves 4):

3 large potatoes, peel and dice into 1 inch pieces

5 small sprigs of thyme

1 head of Royal Rose Radicchio, separate and halve the leaves

A good handful of baby spinach, washed and trimmed

6oz. (180g) smoked salmon, in small strips

1 lemon thinly sliced

A bunch of dill

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

For the dressing:

½ cup/125ml of cream

2 tbsp. Irish Stout

1 tsp. whole grain mustard

2 tsp. of honey

½ tsp. chopped thyme

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F / Fan 170°C / 335°F or Gas 5

Heat a little oil in a roasting pan and add potatoes and thyme. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until golden, tossing from time to time. Then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Set aside and keep warm.

To make the dressing, pour all the ingredients except for the parsley into a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir until all the ingredients have dissolved, add the parsley and check the seasoning. Keep warm.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the olive oil followed by the Royal Rose Radicchio leaves. Toss lightly for about a minute or so until slightly wilted. Add the spinach and wilt for a further minute. Transfer to serving plates and add the roast potatoes.

Spoon over some dressing and arrange the smoked salmon and lemon slices on top.

Garnish with sprigs of dill, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

TIP: Use steamed baby potatoes instead of the roasted ones or even diced roasted sweet potatoes for a delicious change

Alexandra Videmsky contributed to this story.