Corned Beef and Cabbage...

...with Brown Butter Soda Bread, Susie's Potatoes and a Guinness Ice Cream Float.

How's everyone feeling this morning? Green beer hangover? I woke up and still felt full from dinner. How does that happen?? I ate over 12 hours ago! I need to start sleep training myself to run laps around the house while I dream about spaghetti. Whatever, that meal was worth feeling ridiculously full over. I could maybe eat it every night of my life. Salty meat dipped in hot mustard, crispy potatoes, flavorful vegetables, homemade bread and butter... WAIT, I'm hungry again! Thank god that didn't last long.


I found this traditional recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage. Only thing I didn't have was parsley, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. It calls for 3-4 hours of cooking, I only needed 3. Here's what I did, lads and lasses!

Corned Beef and Cabbage
(Serves a lot)

4 lb corned brisket of beef
3 large carrots, cut into large chunks
6 to 8 small onions
1 teaspoon dry English mustard
Large sprig fresh thyme and some parsley stalks, tied together
1 cabbage

Ingredients... my onions were big so I didn't use a ton. Also I chopped them, even though the recipe didn't say to. Ok so I didn't follow it exactly.


Place corned beef in large pot.


Add vegetables and herbs, reserving cabbage for later.


Fill pot with water. Bring to a boil. Cover, and simmer for two hours.


While waiting, put on your leprechaun hat and drink a Guinness or four.


After the 2 hours are up, remove lid. Discard the outer layers of your cabbage and cut into quarters. Place in pot. As you can see, I only had room for 3 quarters of the cabbage.


And barely. I was actually afraid of this lid somehow flying off the pot and landing on my son, who was playing nearby. Yeah, I like to imagine worst-case scenarios.


Simmer for another 1-2 hours (like I said, I only needed 1) until meat and vegetables are tender. As you can see, eventually the cabbage will wilt and your pot will not go flying in the air like a UFO.


Slice meat and serve with vegetables. It is also very important that you serve this with Horseradish and Hot English Mustard. Come on, everyone pretends they are Irish on this day, so do it right.


Moving on to the Irish Soda Bread. I found this recipe a long time ago and I LOVE IT. Easiest bread you will ever make. No yeast, no rising time, no excessive kneading. Trust me, you will make this over and over again. Great with chili or soup or just eating for a snack. The entire 2 loaves. For a snack.

Brown Butter Soda Bread
(Makes 2 loaves)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 oats
1 T sugar
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper plus additional for topping
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg white, beaten to blend

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, chopped rosemary, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 3/4 tsp black pepper. You do not see the rosemary in this picture because I forgot and added it later. Shhh.


In a small pot, melt butter over medium-low heat until it browns. Careful not to burn it! Remove from heat.


Pour buttermilk and brown butter over flour mixture.


Stir with a fork until combined.


Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, take one half and knead just a bit, about 7 times. Form into a ball and flatten slightly. Place on an ungreased baking sheet (I like to use parchment paper). Brush each loaf with beaten egg whites and sprinkle with black pepper. Using a knife, cut a small X in each loaf.


Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 30.


Are you feeling less hungover yet? I also served this meal with Susie's Potatoes. Used red ones this time. On traditional recipes for corned beef and cabbage, they say to serve with floury potatoes. I don't know what they mean by that.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, we had Guinness Ice Cream Floats. Were we hungry by this point? No. Did that matter? Hell no.


I hope everyone had a Happy St. Patty's Day! Make this meal next year, or tomorrow. By the by, who knew boiled cabbage was so good?? The Irish. They knew.