Pot o' ...dinner

Wellll, this would've been a good thing to post this morning. And I tried. But I ran out of time.

I guess it's not too late, though. It is still St. Paddy's Day. And, as far as I know, corned beef is still on sale all across America and probably will be the rest of the week. So you still have time to pick some up. (I recommend getting an extra one to freeze for later while they're so cheap.)

So here it goes...

Growing up, we always had corned beef and red potatoes on St. Patrick's Day, a delicious tradition which I'm happy to carry on. Mom boiled it in a big pot on the stove for an hour or two. I make it in the crock pot and add cabbage (which she's not a big fan of). But not everyone makes this - or knows how to. So I thought I'd share. (It's really easy.)

1. When you buy corned beef, it either comes with seasoning on it or with a little packet of seasoning that you rub on. So start by making sure your beef gets seasoned one way or the other.
2. Chop up 3-5 red potatoes depending on how many people you're feeding and how big your crock pot is. (Or use a bunch of those really tiny ones and don't bother chopping.) Throw in some onion, too, if you feel like it. I chopped up both the night before and stuck them in a ziploc. Since I accidentally chopped up more veggies than I had room for, I kept the leftover ones in the bag and put it in the freezer to use in soup later on.
3. Throw everything in the crock pot and cover with water.
4. Leave it on low all day or high half the day.
5. If you like cabbage, get some of that chopped up at some point as well. I try to use as much as possible in this dish, because I run out of ideas for how to use the rest of it pretty quickly, but it still ends up being half the head or less.
6. Add the cabbage in the crock pot about 20 minutes before you're ready to eat. (Or leave it out altogether or braise it instead, depending on what you like.)
7. Even fully cooked, corned beef will still be pink. Don't freak out.
   
8. Put everything except the broth on a platter and viola! Dinner is served.
   

Happy St. Patrick's Day!