Wednesday, March 02, 2016

Dinner the St. Patrick's Day Way

Presenting the traditional St. Patrick's Day meal most North Americans will enjoy with a cold Harp Lager, Guinness Stout, Killian's Irish Red Lager, or Smithwicks Ale. But here's a newsflash, Boyo, except for the beer you'll never find corned beef served anyway on the Old Sod. That's right. Our Irish brethren look at us in amazement, but that's never stopped us Yanks from creating traditions. So pour another wee dram and let's get cooking.

Corned Beef
Cabbage
Carrots
Potatoes
Bakery Rye Bread
Horseradish Sauce
Mustard
Irish Beer and plenty of it


Corned Beef
1 5lb. corned beef brisket*
2 med. onions, peeled and quartered
4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
3 bottles of beer
water to cover

Preheat oven to 300 F°.

Place beef in a Dutch oven. Add remaining ingredients, including spice packet that comes with the beef.

Bring to a boil on stovetop. Place in oven and roast for 3 hours or until meat is fork tender.

*Don't stint on the beef. It cooks down to approximately half. I learned this lesson the hard way.

Here's a tip from my butcher Raoul. Always buy corned beef flat cut. It has less fat than the point. Therefore you get more meat for your money.

Vegetables
6 med. red potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 carrots, scraped and cut into 2" pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 2" pieces
1 med. green cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
1 cup corned beef cooking liquid
water

You can prep all the veggies and store in a large container covered by cold water until you're ready to cook them. Refrigerate so vegetables remain crisp.

Place veggies in a large pot. Stir in corned beef cooking liquid. Add water to cover vegetables by 2 inches. Cover pot. Set cooking temp at medium. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat so the pot doesn't cook over, but maintain a soft boil. Cook about 30 minutes or until veggies are fork tender.

Horseradish Sauce
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 tsp. fresh chives, snipped short

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir well.

Transfer to a serving dish, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Dea Ithe!

Sloane

12 comments:

  1. Yum, that dinner sounds so good, why wait until St. Paddy's Day? Wink. Cheers for sharing, Sloane. Now all I need is a cook...

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    1. You're welcome, Sharon. There's always a place for you and your handsome hubby, so c'mon down.:)

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  2. Oh YUM. That's pretty much like we do except I just boil the corned beef (a.k.a. silverside) rather than finishing it off by roasting. Yes, horseradish sauce. You can the need for this sort of meal when you consider the weather they sometimes get. Always go easy on the Guinness. Very fat-forming to say the least. Voice of experience.

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    1. Thanks for the hints, Vonnie. I'll be sure to use them, especially on the Guinness,:)

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  3. I'd love this served once a week! Love cooked cabbage any time, but with corned beef, it's wonderful. Great post, Sloane.
    Emma

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    1. Thanks, Emma, and thanks for droooing in.

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  4. Raoul? You have a butcher named Raoul? This is almost as good as the corned beef recipe. :)

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    1. I do, I do. He's an angel with a wonderful wife and grandkids. We share stories on his and mine. Grandkids that is, not wives.:)

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    2. Your life has so many levels, Sloane! You do not have to look far to get inspiration for your stories. ;-) Chris

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    3. Chris, can I capture you and keep you forever? You're great for my ego.:)

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  5. I have cooked this with a Dutch oven and also with a Crock Pot. You are right--the meat shrinks to less than half the size no matter what way you cook it! The nice part is the way the house smells for the entire cooking time. Add some fresh baked bread to the mix and you can almost float on an aroma of goodness. Chris

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    1. OMG! Thank you!! Baked bread is a marvelous addition. I can feel myself floating already.:)

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