Appetizing Muse

Because I was under the weather during St. Patrick's Day, I didn't make our Irish feast until last night. I was determined to prepare the meal and not just freeze the nice-sized brisket Wilbert picked out just for the occasion.

A few months ago I bought a mini crock pot which holds 1.5 quarts. In order to fit the corned beef brisket inside, I sliced the meat into smaller portions. The seasonings usually included in the brine were provided in a separate package, so I added the contents after the water and corned beef had come to a boil in the crock pot. Using my smaller crock was a tight fit, but didn't want to use my larger model as the small one has a removable pot.

Potatoes and cabbage are typical sides with corned beef. I peeled and quartered four Klondike Rose and six red potatoes, and chopped a small head of cabbage. However, this year I decided to add a bit of thick-sliced julienned carrot. I let the potatoes and carrots boil for about twenty minutes, then added the cabbage (about another ten minutes of boiling time). Doused with a large amount of butter and salt, the virtual "side" turned out quite well, and my husband went back for thirds.

Even though the meal was three days overdue per tradition, I was finally able to have my scrumptious "Irish" dinner.

*Related Blog Posts: Corned Beef Brine (06/10/03) and Origins of Corned Beef (03/21/04).