I don't know what it is about St. Patrick's day but every year I seem to go all out and this year was no different. Last year I came across this recipe for
apricot glazed corned beef with sauteed cabbage and colcannon on
Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy a bit late to make it in time but I have been patiently waiting and now it was finally time to try it. I have used apricot glazes in savoury dishes before so I know that they work well and the
honey dijon glazed corned beef that I made last year was a great success with its sweet and tangy glaze so I knew that this one would also be great.
This corned beef recipe was a slow cooker version and one of the things that I liked about it was that everything was "pre-cooked" together in the slow cooker and once that was done there was very little effort required to finish everything off. I did run in one problem and that was that I was unable to get a 3 pound corned beef and the 5+ pound corned beef that I ended up with was too big to fit into the slow cooker. After a few minutes of worrying I decided that it was not a problem as I have cooked corned beef on the stove top before and I could simply cut the beef in half and do half in the slow cooker and half on the stove. I also decided to make one a little larger and use the apricot glaze on it and the smaller half I would just save for another dish after it was cooked. I really liked that after placing the beef in the pot you could pretty much just walk away and leave it for a few hours with no effort require.
Both the slow cooker version and the stove top version came out beautifully and the larger one from the slow cooker got glazed up and popped into the oven right away. While it was finishing up I quickly made the colcannon and the sauteed cabbage, neither of which were too much trouble. The corned beef turned out nice and tender and although I think I prefer the honey dijon glaze, the apricot glaze was definitely a keeper! I served the corned beef with some extra apricot glaze for even more apricoty goodness. Overall, this meal was one of the best that I have had in a while and I am definitely looking forward to enjoying the leftovers for lunches this week. I also already have plans for that second, unglazed corned beef.
Apricot Glazed Corned Beef
(makes 4+ servings)Printable RecipeIngredients:
1 onion (peeled and cut into quarters)
4 potatoes (peeled and quartered)
2 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed)
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 cups water
1 (3 pound) corned beef brisket
1 head cabbage (cut into 8 wedges)
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
Directions (for slow cooker):
1. Place the onions and potatoes in the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker followed by the garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, water and the the beef and finally the cabbage.
2. Cover and cook on low until the meat is render, about 8 hours.
3. Mix the the apricot preserves, brown sugar and mustards in a bowl.
4. Place the beef in a baking pan and cover in the 1/2 of the apricot glaze.
5. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the glaze is bubbling.
6. Let it rest for 10 minutes, slice and serve with the remaining apricot glaze.
Directions (for stove top):
1. Place the beef in a large pot followed by the water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the meat is tender, about 1 hour per pound.
3. About 1 hour before the meat is done add the onion, potatoes and cabbage.
4. Mix the the apricot preserves, brown sugar and mustards in a bowl.
5. Place the beef in a baking pan and cover in the apricot glaze.
6. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the glaze is bubbling.
7. Let it rest for 10 minutes, slice and serve with the remaining apricot glaze.
Similar Recipes:
Apricot Glazed HamCorned Beef Glazed in Honey and Mustard Dinner with CabbagePot RoastMaple and Mustard Glazed ChickenCurried Honey Dijon Roasted ChickenHam Crusted with Mustard and Gingersnap CrumbsIdeas for Leftovers:
Reuben SandwichReuben DipReuben QuesadillasCorned Beef, Cabbage and Kimchi Burrito
Colcannon is an Irish version of mashed potatoes that also contains cabbage or kale. You really can't go wrong with creamy mashed potatoes but I liked the sound of adding some roughage and I could not help but noticing the bacon in this recipe. One of the good things about making colcannon when you make a corned beef is that you can throw both the potatoes and the cabbage into the pot with the beef to cook and they will absorb all of that extra flavour. Once the potatoes and cabbage came out of the pot all that was left to do was cook the bacon and saute the onion and cabbage a bit before mashing everything up. The colcannon was so good! The potatoes were nice and smooth and creamy and the cabbage and potatoes added a nice texture.
Colcannon
(makes 4+ servings)Ingredients:
4 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch slices)
1 onion (sliced)
1/2 of the cabbage (reserved or fresh, sliced thinly)
1/4 cup half and half
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Cook the bacon and set aside.
2. Add the onion and saute it in the bacon grease until tender, about 7-10 minutes.
3. Add the cabbage saute until the liquid disappears.
4. Mash the potatoes in a large bowl.
5. Mix in the bacon, cabbage and onions, half and half, butter and season with salt and pepper.
Similar Recipes:
Creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed PotatoesWhite Cheddar and Garlic Mashed PotatoesGoat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
With a whole head of cabbage going into the pot, there was really too much to use it all in the colcannon so sauteed cabbage was a great way to use up the rest of it. Since you are going to need something to saute the cabbage in anyways, why not use some bacon grease? And if you need bacon grease why not cook up some bacon and add it to the sauteed cabbage as well? Though simple, this sauteed cabbage was really good! The cabbage was already nice an tasty from absorbing the corned beef and its pickling spices flavours and then you add some bacon and everything is all good.
Sauteed Cabbage
(makes 4+ servings)Ingredients:
4 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch slices)
1 onion (sliced)
1/2 of the reserved cabbage (sliced thinly)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Cook the bacon and set aside.
2. Add the onion and saute in the bacon grease until very tender, about 7-10 minutes.
3. Add the cabbage, bacon, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and saute until the liquid disappears.
Similar Recipes:
Sauteed Swiss ChardChard Sauteed with Raisins and Pine Nuts
