This Corned Beef Casserole Is Best Eaten While Drunk
As a fan of salted meats, carbs and kale, corned beef and kale – also known as a New England cooked dinner – have always been my favorite part of St. Patrick’s Day. (You probably thought it was booze, but only amateurs need a “reason” to drink too much whiskey and fight some girl named Megan.)
Luckily (for the Irish), this festive, salty lunch pairs well with a bake. Meat and vegetables come together in one harmonious bite, eliminating the need for knives and making pumping into a drunken (or hungover) mouth much easier. In addition to the cruciferous meat and leaves, I added mashed potatoes (because I already had some potatoes and felt they would make a good base layer), a creamy Irish whiskey sauce, and some soda bread soaked in butter because every casserole needs in a crumbly gold layer. If you don’t have mashed potatoes, you can use fried or boiled new potatoes, potato pancakes, or potato pancakes because any potato is a good option. You can also mix it with vegetables and saute some grated carrots or parsnips if you like.
To make a comfortable Guinness beer sponge, you will need:
- 2 cups mashed potatoes, however you need them
- Half a head of cabbage, sliced into ribbons
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided into three servings
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup Irish whiskey
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 3/4 lb leftover or store-bought corn beef cut into small strips or chunks
- 2 cups diced Irish soda bread
Grease a 5 x 9 baking dish with butter and press the puree onto it. Raise them up a bit for nice peaks and valleys.
In a large saucepan, melt two tablespoons of butter, add the cabbage and season with salt and pepper. Cook the cabbage until soft, tender, and slightly caramelized. Transfer it to a bowl, then add two more tablespoons of oil and onions. Season these guys with salt and pepper and boil them until they’re soft and soft too, with a sweet caramelized color. Add them to a bowl of kale.
Remove the frosting from the whiskey skillet and let it cool until your kitchen smells aggressively ethanol and you are left with one serving of a nice dark reduction. Add to vegetables, mix with sour cream and mustard, season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread this creamy dish over mashed potatoes, then push half of the beef into the cabbage-beige potato swamp.
Sprinkle half of the soda bread on top, pour in the remaining sour cream and kale mixture, and add the rest of the beef. Exclaim: “BEEF!” if it seems right.
Place the whole thing in a 375-degree oven and cook until the edges begin to brown (20-30 minutes). While this is happening, mix the leftover bread with the remaining (melted) butter. Sprinkle it over your masterpiece, then put everything back in the oven until it’s golden brown.
If I were you, I would collect this before March 17th and put it back in the oven as soon as you get hit by these post-libation snacks. Place the casserole on a plate or directly in your mouth, let the creamy carbs and salty meats do their thing in your drunken belly, and go to bed. The St. Patrick’s Day night scene is a hot mess at best (and probably especially this year); better to spend the night enjoying a hot meal.