Corned Beef with Guinness and Colcannon

 This was the end result of many hours of cooking yesterday.  It was worth the work.

 First, I fried bacon to sprinkle on top of the colcannon and left the drippings in a big pot.

 After trimming the corned beef, I floured and peppered it.

 Then browned it in the bacon grease.

 It takes about 5 minutes on each side.

 Add 4 stalks of celery, 2 onions, 6 carrots and a bunch of assorted herbs.  I used rosemary, thyme, sage and bay leaves.  You can just cut everything into big chunks because it will be removed and discarded later.

 Add 6 cups of beef broth, some beef bouillon and black peppercorns.

 Sprinkle in any spices that came with the briskets.

 Add some Guinness.

 Two whole bottles.

Sink the brisket under the liquid, cover and braise at 325 degrees for 4 hours.

 Meanwhile boil 2-1/2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes until fork tender.

 Clean 2 leeks and slice them and slice half a head of savoy cabbage.

In 4 tablespoons of butter, saute' the leeks and 1/2 the cabbage until they soften.  Add 3 minced garlic cloves.

 Add 1 C. of milk and 1/2 C. of cream.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

 Roughly mash the potatoes and stir in the leeks and cabbage.

I served roasted carrots and sauteed asparagus too.  After 4 hours, remove the brisket from the oven.  Place the meat on a cutting board and strain the solids from the braising liquid.  I forgot a few pics here again!  Pour the liquid back into the pot and bring it to a boil.  Whisk in 5 T. tomato paste and 6 T. red wine vinegar.  Mix 4 T. melted butter with 4 T. flour and whisk it into the boiling liquid. Boil and whisk until it thickens and makes a nice rich gravy.

 Slice the brisket into thin slices.  I packed this dinner up for my kids.

Serve it with the colcannon and the vegetables and ladle the gravy over it.  I always wonder why I don't make this more than once a year.

I also made Irish soda bread.  You can find the recipe by typing it into my search bar. Always cut an X in the top of the loaves.

This allows the wee fairies to escape during baking.