Corned Beef and Cabbage

So I tried my hand at a traditional Irish meal this week. I can honestly say I’ve never had corned beef before. Well, as far as I know. It is so out of my element I couldn’t even find it in the grocery store and had to ask an employee if they carried it. He looked at me a little weird and reached right in front of me and picked up the corned beef.

After I got over my embarrassment I went home and threw it all in the slow cooker. I was so excited to try the dish I checked it after 30 minutes….only to realize I had forgotten to start the slow cooker.

I don’t think I had ever noticed before how horrible cabbage smells when it is cooking but it took me back to my childhood — my Aunt bought a used car and it smelled like cabbage. Not a pleasant thought. Or memory. Luckily this dish was very tasty and makes me even want to go to Ireland. Almost. The only complaint was that it was a little too salty. And the family had eaten the majority of it by the time I made it home (see pic at bottom).

Corned Beef and Cabbage (Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers)

Ingredients:

1/2 c onion, diced
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 3/4 pound(s) corned beef brisket, lean, trimmed of all visible fat
Spice packet (included with brisket)
2 c Baby carrots
3 large uncooked red potatoes, diced
1 lb green cabbage, cored and cut into 8 wedges
2 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Bay leaves
Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Place the onions and garlic in a slow cooker. Place the corned beef on top of the onions and garlic. Sprinkle spices over meat. Arrange the carrots, potatoes and cabbage around the meat. Pour the broth in slow cooker. Add Bay leaves and pepper. Cover and cook until the meat and vegetables are fork-tender, 4–5 hours on high or 8–10 hours on low. Transfer the corned beef to a platter and cut into slices.