It’s starting to become a tradition in our house to have this meal on this holiday. I’ve actually never had corned beef until I met my hubby (enter audible gasp here); and for hubby, it’s one of his favorites. So just for him, here it is:

Ingredients:

3 lbs. corned beef brisket with spice packet
minced garlic
1 bottle of Guinness beer
handful of potatoes (small reds are probably best)
a couple handfuls of carrots, chopped
1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges
1 onion, chopped

Trim fat from meat, rinse. Place in large pot or dutch oven and cover with beer. Cover the rest in water. Add packet of spices and garlic. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Simmer approximately 1 hour per pound or until tender. If there’s room in the pot, one hour before it’s done, add potatoes and carrots. Twenty minutes before it’s done, add the cabbage and onion. (If there isn’t enough room in the pot, wait til the meat is cooked, remove from liquid and add vegetables to cook.) Remove meat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice against the grain. Plate meat slices and vegetables.

Horseradish Sauce

Mix together:

3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup horseradish
1 Tbsp chives (dried)
Juice from 1/2 lemon

This meal, plus UCLA winning by a hairline, tonight was a successful St. Paddy’s Day meal. The meat should be soft and tender and nearly falling apart; vegetables very flavorful and soft. Horseradish sauce is cool, creamy, with a little kick to it. I smeared it all over my potatoes (YUM). Enjoy! =)