Rockin' Corned Beef with Guinness Gravy, Roasted Cabbage and Finglerling Potatoes

Ellie and Kohlton had a grand time at the concert. They arrived early enough to get a good place in line and were able to be near the stage. During the concert one of the guitar players would use a special Volbeat pic and then give it to someone in the audience. Kohlton noticed this and make eye contact with the musician, he then motioned towards Ellie. During another song the guitarist pointed at Ellie, smiled and did the "thumbs up" sign. At the end of the song he handed his pic to her. She was thrilled and might make a necklace from it.

On Wednesday we had a few friends over for dinner. Ethan loves corned beef, so I planned a meal around that. I had Ethan cook the corned beef in the crock pot while I was at work. When I got home I made Guinness Gravy, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Rosemary and Parmesan, and Roasted Cabbage. It was a great meal - worthy of a Saint Patrick's Day celebration this weekend.

Guinness Gravy
from: Closet Cooking

1 tablespoon butter or bacon grease
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons butter or bacon grease
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups Guinness or other Irish stout
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 pound french fries, cooked
1 cup cheese curds, or shredded cheddar
1/2 cup corned beef, cooked, diced and warm

Melt the better in a pan over medium-high heat, add the onions, saute until they start to caramelize, about 30 minutes, adding water or Guinness to . the pan as needed to prevent burning.

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add the butter and cook until bubbling, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook until it turns golden brown, about 2-4 minutes. Add the Guinness, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, reduce the heat and simmer until it thickens, about 7-10 minutes.
Top your corned beef with the Guinness gravy and enjoy.
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Parmesan Gremolata Smashed Potatoes
Via: Use Real Butter blog

2 lbs. fingerling potatoes, scrubbed clean
1/2 cup olive oil (or less)
(I also sprinkled my potatoes with Rosemary (I have a rosemary powder that I purchased at the health food store.)
1 tsp sea salt
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3 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and minced
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced (should be about 1/4 cup when minced)
1 lemon, grated zest of
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water (about an inch higher than the potatoes). Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through (about 15 minutes for these little potatoes). During this time, preheat oven to 400°F. Drain the potatoes and let dry in a colander or on a kitchen towel. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet (that has been lined with foil) in a single layer. Using the bottom of a heavy glass, gently press each potato flat to about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thickness. Drizzle the olive oil over the smashed potatoes and then sprinkle salt over the potatoes.

Roast for 30 minutes, flipping the potatoes over at 15 minutes with tongs or a spatula. While the potatoes are roasting, mix the garlic, parsley, lemon zest, and Parmesan cheese together in a small bowl. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven, and toss them in a large bowl with the Parmesan-gremolata.

(I did not have all of these ingredients, so I simply topped my roasted potatoes with shredded Parmesan cheese and placed them back in the oven long enough to melt it.)

Serve hot.

Serves 4 as a side dish.
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Roasted Cabbage Wedge Salad
via: a Couple Cooks

Makes: 4-8 (Depending on how you slice it)

1 medium green cabbage
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil

Dressing:
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
Pepper
Pecorino cheese

Preheat the oven to 450°F. (I roasted mine at 400, along with the potatoes. This made it very efficient.)

Cut the cabbage into 4-8 wedges Place the wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Drizzle each side of the cabbage with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Place in the oven and roast until browned on the outside and tender, about 30 minutes total, flipping the wedges at 15 minutes. (The timing will depend on the size, so larger wedges may need a bit more time.)

(I did not make the dressing. The roasted cabbage was nice enough on its own; it was a vast improvement over the usual boiled, watery cabbage.)

Dressing:
Meanwhile, in a canning jar, combine 4 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 1 teaspoon mustard, an fresh ground pepper. Shake to combine (or whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl).
When the cabbage is done, remove from the oven and place each wedge on a plate. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and top with grated Pecorino cheese.
Notes


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Here is another recipe from Closet Cooking. I have not tried it, but it sounds wonderful:

Slow Cooker Corned Beef with Guinness Glaze
via: Closet Cooking

1 3-5 pound corned beef in pickling liquid and spices
1 bottle/can (12+ ounces) Guinness or other Irish stout
1 small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Place the corned beef along with the pickling spices, onion and garlic in a slow cooker/crock-pot, top with the Guinness and cook on low until fork tender, about 8-10 hours.

Set the corned beef aside, strain the solids from the Guinness and juices, place the liquid into a large sauce pan, add the brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, bring to a boil reduce the heat and simmer to reduce by half, about 15-20 minutes.

Cut the fat layer from the corned beef, glaze with the Guinness glaze and bake in a preheated 400F oven until the glaze starts bubbling, about 10-15 minutes.

Notes from a Dinner Party - Recipes and Ideas

We had the Suter Burgess family over for dinner. They've had us to their house many times and I was happy to plan a party. I was going to do a taco and burrito bar, but Ethan really wanted a baked potato bar. I love the Colorado Broccoli Salad that they sell at Safeway, so I searched for a similar recipe. I was going to do a few other items such as Gouda with Rigatoni and Root Beer Cupcakes, but time did not allow for them. We had a lovely time. The food was simple, but nice.

Here's notes on preparation and the recipe:

Baked Potatoes

Clean Russet Potatoes and stab them with a fork in several places. (This allows the steam to escape)then bake them in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. This produces baked potatoes with a slightly crispy crust outside. Another method is to clean and fork them, then coat the potatoes with olive oil and a bit of sea salt, wrapping them in foil. The foil method results in a different, softer potato texture after cooking. I transferred them to a large crock pot that was turned to medium.

Baked Potato Toppings:
Butter
Sour Cream
Bacon, crumbled (2-3 pieces per person)
Ham Cubes (cut from a ham steak)
Cheddar Cheese
Salsa (no one used this topping)

Broccoli Salad

2 heads Fresh Broccoli (cut the head into small pieces, discard bottoms or save for some other use)
1/2 pound Bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces)
1 -1 1/2 cup Grapes (sliced in half)
1 cup Almond Slivers (Cashews would be very lovely. Sunflower seeds work, too.
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Sugar
2 TBL Red Wine Vinegar

Combine the Broccoli, Bacon, Grapes and Almonds in a large bowl.
In another bowl, mix the Mayonnaise, Sour Cream, Sugar and Red Wine Vinegar. Mix well, then mix with the broccoli mix. Make at least one hour ahead of time so the flavors can blend. Many people like a 1/2 cup of chopped raw red onions added in. I left them out.