Go Green for St. Patrick’s Day

Go Green for St. Patrick’s Day By Heather Reynolds

St. Patrick’s Day is the one day a year that people flock to the grocery store in search of ingredients for a corned beef dinner. Corned beef is a beef brisket that soaks in brine and then cures with salt and seasonings. This cut of meat has a distinctive pink color from sodium nitrate which is an ingredient in the curing process. Corned beef comes in multiple cuts, and it’s always best to cook corned beef for a long period of time so that it becomes tender. Typical cooking methods include boiling, slow cooking or oven roasting the meat. The first step to this recipe is to choose your meat. Most stores sell preseasoned corned beef, especially in March. There are a few different cuts of corned beef to choose from, including corned beef round roast, flat cut brisket, and point cut brisket. The round roast tends to have the least fat but is also much more prone to drying out for that same reason. Flat cut brisket and point cut brisket tend to be the better corned beef options. Point cut brisket is the fattiest cut but can also sometimes be the most tender. So, it’s really up to you which cut you use! Serve with some green beer or a perfect Shamrock Shake for a delicious St. Patrick’s Day feast!

IRISH CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE 1 corned beef brisket (about 4 pounds) with spice packet 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 bay leaves 3-1/2 pounds small potatoes (10-15), peeled 8 medium carrots, halved crosswise 1 medium head cabbage, cut into wedges

HORSERADISH SAUCE: tablespoons Kerrygold butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 to 1-1/2 cups reserved cooking juices from corned beef 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1/4 cup horseradish

MUSTARD SAUCE (optional): 1 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Place brisket, contents of seasoning packet, brown sugar and bay leaves in a large Dutch oven or stockpot; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 2 hours. Add potatoes and carrots; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, just until beef and vegetables are tender, 30-40 minutes. (If pot is full, remove potatoes and carrots before adding cabbage; reheat before serving.) Add cabbage to pot; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove vegetables and corned beef; keep warm. For Horseradish Sauce, strain and reserve 1-1/2 cups cooking juices; skim fat from reserved juices. Discard remaining juices. Prepare sauces as desired. Cut beef across the grain into slices. Serve with vegetables, Horseradish Sauce and, if desired, Mustard Sauce. Horseradish Sauce: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in 1 cup reserved juices. Stir in sugar, vinegar and horseradish; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened. If desired, thin with additional juices. Season to taste with additional sugar, vinegar or horseradish. Mustard Sauce: Mix all ingredients.

PERFECT SHAMROCK SHAKE 2 cups mint chocolate chip ice cream 3/4 cup whole milk 5 drops green food coloring Mint Oreos, crushed Chocolate sauce, whipped cream, chocolate chips, mint oreos, mini ice cream sandwiches

Place the ice cream, milk, crushed oreos and food coloring in a blender. Blend until smooth. Spread chocolate sauce along the rim of two glasses and then cover with additional crushed oreos. Pour the shake mixture into the glasses and top with a scoop of mint chocolate ice cream. Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, an oreo, ice cream sandwich and chocolate chips. Serve immediately.