Corned Beef and Cabbage

Happy St. Patty's Day! Did you remember to wear green today? I didn't. Nope totally forgot until I opened Google and saw their dancing Irish people. Oh ya. St. Patty's Day. Luckily for me, my shoes have a wisp of green on them. Not that anyone would dare pinch me. Just try it buddy. See what happens.

Somewhere along the way while I was growing up, we decided (as a family?) that we were part Irish. Are we? Who knows. I mean, I'm sure someone actually knows, but I couldn't tell you who. But it doesn't matter. Not really anyways. I will continue to eat semi-traditional Irish food on a day like today. Or really any day for that matter because it is good. But definitely today in particular.

My mom always makes corned beef and cabbage for St. Patty's Day. And I vaguely remember having green milk as a kid. Just a couple drops of color in our glasses at dinner and voila. Some leprechaun did it. I'm sure. Today, I still carry on the corned beef tradition, but not the green milk one. It's just weird to my adult self. And I ALWAYS double this recipe. Because if I don't, there's never enough for yummy leftovers.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

1 3-4lb corned beef brisket with spice packet
1 Tbsp whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
6-8 cloves garlic, whole and peeled
1 1/2 cups stout beer (I used Guinness)
Water
1 lb carrots, washed and cut into 2-inch long pieces
1.5 lbs russet potatoes, washed and cut into 2 inch chunks
1 small head green cabbage, quartered, core removed and cut into 2 inch pieces

Place your corned beef into a large pot. Sprinkle with spice packet. Add in peppercorn, bay leaves, garlic, and beer. Add in water until brisket has been completely covered. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 4-5 hours. Remove brisket from pot and set aside. Strain cooking liquid through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the peppercorns/garlic/bay leaves. If your brisket has a thick layer of fat on one side (which most of them do), you can take a spoon or utensil and scrap it off and discard it. Cover brisket with foil to keep warm. In the same pot used to cook the brisket, add in carrots and potatoes. Cover with strained cooking liquid, reserving at least 2 tablespoons of the liquid for the cabbage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until carrots and potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. In a large microwave safe dish/bowl, place the cabbage and 2 tablespoons reserved cooking liquid. Cover and microwave until tender. I cooked mine for about 5 minutes, but I checked it about halfway through cooking to see how tender it was. You DO NOT want to overcook it or it will be mush. Slice brisket and serve with potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.

Source: Elizabeth's mom