Mom’s Classic Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner! While my family isn’t Irish, growing up, every March we were treated to my mom’s distinctive Corned Beef and Cabbage. In her typical style, she took the basic boiled corned beef brisket and amped up the flavor through two steps:

1. She braised the brisket (cooking in a moderate amount of liquid over low heat for several hours) in a scrumptious broth of onion, garlic, whole cloves and bay leaf. Braising the meat in this spicy liquid not only ensures the meat comes out super flavorful, it’s also very moist and tender.
2. As if that wasn’t enough, mom finished the brisket off with a glaze of Dijon mustard, brown sugar and cloves.

Cooking the potatoes, carrots and cabbage in the broth leftover from cooking the meat just layers in even more deliciousness. So, put on some green and get cookin’!

Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious recipe, all of which should be available at your local grocery store:

• Corned beef brisket
• Yellow onion
• Garlic
• Whole cloves
• Bay leaves
• Small white potatoes (Yukon Gold or red-skinned)
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Dijon mustard
• Brown sugar (light or dark)
• Ground cloves

Corned Beef and Cabbage is truly one of the easiest one pot meals you’re ever make! Here’s all you have to do:

• Braise corned beef.
  Place corned beef, onions, garlic, whole cloves and bay leaves in large Dutch oven. (If your corned beef came with a spice packet, feel free to toss it in as well.) Cover with water, cover and simmer on a stovetop for 3 hours (one hour per pound) or until fork tender.
• Prep oven.
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove beef; cook vegetables.
  Remove meat from liquid and set in a shallow baking dish, leaving cooking liquid and spices in the pan. Add the potatoes and carrots. Cover, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage wedges and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the vegetables are done.
• Finish beef in oven, let rest.
  While the vegetables are cooking, spread the Dijon mustard on the fat side of the meat. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cloves and sprinkle over the top, pressing down to adhere to the mustard. Place beef in a shallow baking pan and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is nicely glazed. Remove from oven, place on a cutting board, and let the meat rest for 5 minutes.
• Slice beef and serve.
  Slice beef and serve with tender potatoes, carrots, and cabbage on the side.

Here are a few suggestions for how to serve Corned Beef and Cabbage:

1. Arrange slices of corned beef down the middle of a large serving platter, with the vegetables around the side. Then, serve buffet style (platter can be too heavy to pass at the table with everything on it!)
2. Arrange beef slices on a serving platter, and place each vegetable in a serving bowl. Either serve buffet style or pass at he table family style.
3. Place beef slices on individual dinner plates with single servings of the vegetables on the side.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To maximize the versatility of your leftovers, I recommend storing the corned beef and vegetables separately. This way, you can easily repurpose the corned beef for delicious sandwiches or corned beef hash, while the flavorful vegetables can be enjoyed as a side dish or incorporated into other recipes. Here’s how I make sandwiches and hash:

• Corned beef (Reuben) sandwich – place slices of leftover corned beef on rye bread with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing. Best if warmed to melt the cheese. (Sometimes I add mustard, too.)
• Corned beef hash – sauté chopped leftover corned beef, potatoes and carrots in olive oil until crisp, season with salt and pepper, and top with a fried egg.