I’m getting ready to make our traditional St. Paddy’s Day dinner and thought I’d share the recipe. My friend, Brendan, who’s a great cook, sent me the recipe from The Frugal Gourmet. I make this “Irish Boiled Dinner” on St. Patrick’s Day, then we have one night of leftovers and a brunch of corned beef hash.
Jeff Smith was the author of a dozen best-selling cookbooks and the host of The Frugal Gourmet, a popular American cooking show that aired on PBS from 1983 to 1997. Smith died in 2004 of natural causes.
Irish Boiled Dinner Recipe
3 1/2 lb. corned beef brisket
2 12-oz bottles lager beer
2 cups water or to cover
2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 cups chopped and rinsed leeks (white part only)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
3/4 lb. carrots, cut up
3/4 lb. red potatoes
1 lb. turnips, peeled and quartered
2 lbs. green cabbage
In an 8-10 quart stove top covered casserole add beef, water, beer, bay, pepper, parsley and salt. Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the garlic, leeks, and onions for a few minutes. Add to the pot. Cover and simmer gently for 3 1/2 hours or until tender (about one hour per pound.) In the last 25 minutes of cooking, add the carrots and potatoes. In the last 15 minutes add the turnips and cabbage.
Serves 4
Serve with Irish Soda Bread, a good ale, and some sweet hot mustard.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
