Our Simple St Patrick’s Day dinner

Today’s post has got to be the easiest holiday dinner ever- really! Our other holiday dinners are also easy because I don’t like to get complicated on busy holidays and forget why we are celebrating. However, this dinner is really, really easy! And while St. Patrick’s Day may be one of our minor holidays, but we love any reason to celebrate around here. We even celebrate Pi day! Given the nature of this dinner I see no good reason to alter it. For sure, I have experimented with cooking it different ways over the years: the oven, stove top, and the crockpot. Today, I want to share my favorite way of making our St Patrick’s Day dinner which is delicious, simple and has a beautiful presentation.

Because the corned beef is so flavorful I keep the veggies simple and just cooked them right along with the corned beef. The water absorbs the salt and flavors the veggies. I have seen recipes calling for broth or beer, but we don’t prefer too many flavors in this dish. Also, some recipes call for putting the veggies in near the end, but because of the low oven temperature and liquid I cook them the whole time with the corned beef. Make sure to keep reading for a link to an authentic Irish Apple Cake recipe which we enjoy as well.

our St Patrick’s Day dinner

According the USDA, corned beef is safely cooked at 145 degrees, but advises a longer cook time for more tender meat. While I have seen temperatures go as high as 195 for corned beef, I cook our to 180 for a perfect meat that is tender and slices well.

1 corned beef round with spice pack included (I used a 4.5 lb)

24 oz. mix of small fingerling potatoes or cut potatoes of your choice

1 whole small green cabbage washed and quartered

2 small bunches carrots washed and trimmed

Start by heating the oven to 300 degrees. While the oven is heating, remove the corned beef from package and rinse it. Put the corned beef into a large pan (I used an 11 x 15). Rinse the cabbage and cut off the end and then quarter it. Place the 4 quarters in the pan next to the corned beef. After this, rinse the carrots and trim the tops and tuck them into the pan next to the cabbage. Lastly, spread the fingerling potatoes throughout the pan where there is room. Fill the pan with water to about halfway up the meat. Sprinkle the contents of the spice packet over the top of the meat. Now cover the whole pan tightly with foil and put into the oven. Cook for 3.5 to 4 hours until meat is tender and thermometer reads an internal temperature of 180, and vegetables are cooked. If needed, add more water. Serve and enjoy!

We enjoyed our meal with an Irish apple cake as well! Here is a recipe for an authentic Irish apple cake.

Bon Appetit!