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Corned Beef and Colcannon Recipe

Corned beef and colcannon is a traditional meal eaten in honor of St. Patrick's Day. This salty, savory dish is highlighted by its use of salted beef, boiled in a pot until tender. While it may be strange for the uninitiated no American-Irish St. Patrick's Day would be complete without it. Tasting Guidelines: Taste of corned beef and colcannon is salty and savory. Taste of horseradish sauce is spicy. Weight is medium. Texture is soft. Best categorized as American.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Course: holiday meal, Main Course
Cuisine: Irish
Keyword: colcannon, corned beef, corned beef and colcannon, horseradish, irish, recipes
Servings: 8 people
Author: Chef Ryan Callahan
Cost: $30

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • Chef's knife
  • large stock pot

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. corned beef Brisket or Round
  • 5 lbs. red potatoes quartered
  • 2 lbs. baby carrots
  • 1 large green cabbage
  • 2 c. sour cream
  • 3 tbsp. raw grated horseradish
  • 4 tbsp. butter

Flavor Balancers

  • Kosher salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

Corned Beef

  • This recipe requires a very large stock pot, at least three gallons. Open corned beef package and place corned beef into pot. Add seasoning packet to pot. Fill pot with enough hot water to cover corned beef in at least three inches of water. Bring to a boil and allow to cook at least two hours. At the two hour mark, add potatoes and carrots. Allow to boil 45 more minutes before adding cabbage. Allow to boil 30 minutes or until cabbage is fork tender.
  • Remove pot from heat and remove corned beef from pot. Place corned beef on a cutting board and allow to rest 30 minutes. Drain water from vegetables in pot and place to side to use in Colcannon recipe.
  • Using a sharp knife, slice beef thinly against the grain. Serve with horseradish and Colcannon.

Colcannon

  • After corned beef has been removed from large pot and water has been drained, add 1 cup sour cream and butter to remaining vegetable mixture. Mash potatoes, carrots, and cabbage until homogeneous. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Horseradish Sauce

  • Mix 1 cup of sour cream with 3 tbsp. raw grated horseradish. Mix thoroughly and allow to rest 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

I typically serve a brisket as the additional fat gives a bit more flavor. But a round is perfect for a tender corned beef.
Corned beef is very salty, and cooking all the ingredients in the same pot gives a delicious flavor to the colcannon. Very little, if any additional salt is necessary because of the saltiness of the corned beef.
Do not purchase pre-made horseradish sauce, as it is typically made with mayonnaise and is generally inferior to homemade horseradish sauce. Look for a jar in the refrigerated section, or near the Bloody Mary mix. You can tell good horseradish by sniffing the open container. If it burns the inside of your nose, you know you've gotten the good stuff!