Happy St. Patty's Day!

My St. Patrick's Eve dinner was a hit last night! My friend Courtney brought Guinness and Harp's Lager and made us all delicious Black & Tans. I made the corned beef plus two versions of cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. I think the verdict was this:

Cabbage - better boiled

Potatoes - better roasted

Carrots - neither version was better than the other

The secrets of my success:

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I looked at a ton of recipes for corned beef and cabbage, plus I asked two different people in the meat department and called in twice with other questions. The big question was whether to cook it on the stove top or in the oven and I learned that either option works. I opted for the stove top because it's easier for me to check on.

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After everything was prepared, I placed the roasted potatoes in the middle of a large platter. I put the sliced corned beef on top and the cabbage and boiled veggies on the ends around the potatoes. It looked nice and everything was on one platter (a trick I learned from Ina for a casual dinner). I put several serving spoons on the platter and told everyone to dig in, and boy did they. That platter was down to a few potatoes and cabbage scraps in no time.

C's Corned Beef

4 lbs corned beef (pre-marinated by the store or butcher)

2-3 cups brine (ask the meat department for some of their corned beef marinade)

14.9 oz can of Guinness

water to cover

1/2 head cabbage, cut in half *

2 large red potatoes, cut in quarters or eights *

2 large carrots, cut in half *

* I would use more of these items had I not also sauteed cabbage and roasted potatoes and carrots.

Put corned beef in a large dutch oven. Add brine and Guinness, then add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for five hours on low. After five hours, add cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. Cook for another 30-60 minutes, until veggies are tender. Remove corned beef and cut off any fat. Slice meat against the grain. Fish out veggies from pot and add to platter.

C's Roasted Red Potatoes

6 large red potatoes, cut into fourths or eighths depending on size (roughly 1.5" chunks)

2 large carrots, sliced on the diagonal into 1 inch pieces

6 cloves garlic, chopped and soaked in olive oil

2-3 t herbs de Provence

1 T fresh parsley, minced and added to olive oil and garlic mixture

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

lots of olive oil

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss potatoes in a large bowl with olive oil, herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. Transfer to a large cookie sheet. Roast for 10 minutes, then stir in carrots. Roast for another 10 minutes. Stir in garlic/parsley/oil (I add this half way through so garlic doesn't burn). Roast for 10 more minutes. Check potatoes and carrots to see if they are fork tender. If not, roast for roughly 10 more minutes. (I cooked for 40 minutes total).

Ina's Sauteed Cabbage

1 small head white cabbage, including outer green leaves (2 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cut the cabbage in half and, with the cut-side down, slice it as thinly as possible around the core, as though you were making coleslaw. Discard the core. Melt the butter in a large saute pan or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and begins to brown. Season, to taste, and serve warm.

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