- 4
- 15 mins
- 160 mins
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled
- 6 whole cloves
- 3 1/2 pound piece corned beef, preferably bottom round
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 black peppercorns
- 1 medium head green cabbage
- 4-6 russet potatoes, peeled and halved
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Hot mustard (optional)
Preparation
Step 1
Stud onions with cloves. Rinse corned beef in cold water to remove brine. Put beef in a large pot and add onions, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 2 hours, skimming occasionally.
Wash cabbage, remove core and any torn leaves, then cut into 6 wedges. Add cabbage and potatoes to beef, then cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
Transfer beef to a cutting board and cover with a plate weighted with heavy cans (weighting makes meat easier to slice). Transfer onions, carrots, cabbage, and potatoes to a platter. Remove cloves from onions. Strain cooking liquid, discarding bay leaves and peppercorns. Return liquid to pot and cook over high heat until reduced by one-third, 20-30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Return vegetables to stock and heat through for about 5 minutes. Remove plate and cans from meat and cut across the grain, in 1/4"-thick slices. Arrange beef and vegetables on warmed platter. Moisten with stock. Serve with additional stock and hot mustard if you like.
Making Hash
I love making breakfast. Simmering a big piece of corned beef (I prefer the bottom round) until it's so tender it falls off a fork. Then I refrigerate overnite. In the morning, I shred the meat and cook 2 potatoes and 2 onions in the corned beef cooking water to add even more salty flavor. I mix the corned beef, the chopped onions, and the potatoes together and cook them to a crisp 'cake' in butter for about 5 minutes on each side. I poach the eggs ahead of time, holding them in cold water until it's time to eat; then I reheat them quickly and put them gently on top of the golden-crusted hash."