Simple Corned Beef Hash

  
   So, it's the day after St. Patrick's Day..... maybe you're slightly hungover, maybe you had a little too much corned beef and cabbage, and now you have lots of leftovers. What do you do?
 Well, the obvious answer is that you make corned beef hash! It's so simple, you don't even need a recipe.
 You just cut up your leftover corned beef and boiled potatoes, throw them into a big skillet with a bit of chopped onion and some butter. Fry it up until crispy, then season it with salt and pepper. That's all there is to it! If you want to get fancy, you can add some chopped bell peppers, and maybe top it with some shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese. And that's it! It's great to serve as a side dish or with breakfast. Fry up a few eggs and some sausages, and you're hangover won't stand a chance. It really is one of Life's simple pleasures. If you've never made it, you simply must!



Tips:
 Even if you don't have leftovers, this is still worth making. You can even start with deli sliced corned beef and raw potatoes. Because they'll take longer to cook, just let the diced potatoes cook for a while before you add the onions, and then after a few minutes, add your chopped sliced corned beef. Easy!
Not a fan of corned beef? Use ham instead!

Joey's Corned Beef and Potato Casserole

  Very often, especially around St. Patrick's Day, people serve corned beef for dinner with the classic side dishes of cabbage and potatoes. But what if cabbage isn't very high on your list of favorites? Do you serve just plain corned beef and potatoes? No! You make this casserole instead!
 Or what if you have a bunch of corned beef and potatoes leftover from your boiled corned beef dinner? What do you do? Well, this casserole is the perfect round two!
 For me, the thing that makes this dish is the fresh dill and the rye bread crumbs. They both bring a fabulous caraway flavor that goes famously with corned beef. The other thing that really makes it is that little hit of mustard. It goes so well with the Swiss cheese and adds a brightness to the whole party. I'm not even kidding when I say that this is one of my favorite things that I've made in quite a long time! Seriously, this has such a fabulously different flavor, I think you should give it a try!



4 tbs butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups diced corned beef
2 heaping tbs of Dijon or spicy brown mustard (or your favorite)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 tbs fresh dill, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
3 lbs boiled potatoes, peeled (if desired), and sliced
8 oz shredded Swiss cheese
8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
buttered rye bread crumbs
chopped scallions, for garnish



Heat oven to 350ºF.
 In a large skillet, melt butter. Add onions and peppers and place over medium heat. Saute until they soften up a bit. Then add garlic, corned beef, and mustard. Stir well. Sprinkle flour over all. Stir until everything is well coated with flour, about 2 minutes. Add milk and stir well. Add chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Stir well, and simmer until thickened. Adjust seasoning if needed.
 While the sauce is thickening, place half of the boiled potato slices in one layer on the bottom of a 9x13 or similar casserole dish. Top with half of corned beef mixture. Sprinkle with half of the Swiss, then half of the Monterey Jack. Repeat all layers. Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle the top with the buttered rye bread crumbs. Place back in oven until crumbs are lightly brown. Remove from oven and let stand for a good 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped scallions, if desired.



Tips:
To boil potatoes, place them in a pot of cold water over high heat. Bring them to a boil. Since potatoes are different sizes, they will all finish cooking at different times. Test each potato with a fork (not a paring knife) removing each potato from the pot as it becomes tender, starting with the smaller potatoes and ending with the largest potatoes.
To make rye bread crumbs, place 2 or 3 slices of rye bread in a food processor and pulse until they become crumbs. Add some melted butter, then pulse a few more times.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef Brisket

  Do you like corned beef as much as I do? I have to say it's one of the most under-used meats, but it's so delicious! Why do we wait until St Patrick's Day to make it? (I say this about turkey on Thanksgiving too, but I digress...) Frankly, I've never had a corned beef dish that I didn't love. Whether we're talking about a Corned Beef Special (which is a sandwich of sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and coleslaw on rye bread), or your basic Reuben Sandwich (which is basically a hot version of the same thing, only with sauerkraut instead of cole slaw), I love all of it.
 One of the BEST ways (and some would argue the ONLY way) to cook a corned beef brisket is in the slow cooker. You just let it cook low and slow, and you wind up with a brisket that is fall-apart tender and perfectly delicious.
  So, let's talk about recipes and prep, shall we? It's REALLY simple and anyone can do this. And I mean ANYONE! To be quite honest, I never even follow an actual recipe. Basically, you can go with the bare minimum, or go all out for an entire corned beef dinner in one pot. It's flavorful, hearty, and it's comfort food at its best. If you've never tried it, then I'd say now is the time!
Here are a few of the ways that I've tried.

Option A, the bare minimum:
You just place your 3 or 4 pound brisket in the slow cooker, (fat side on top), sprinkle it with the packet of pickling spice that usually comes with it, (you could even add a little more, if you like), then add about a cup or two of water, and set it on low for 8 or 9 hours. You could slice it against the grain, or even pull it apart with two forks for sandwiches. Simple right?

Option B, make it more substantial:
Start the same way as Option A with your 3-4 pound brisket. Place it in your slow cooker, (fat side up), then add whatever aromatics you like. A few cloves of garlic, a sliced onion, a few carrots, a couple bay leaves, some fresh dill. And instead of adding just water, add some beef broth. Slow cook for 8 or 9 hours. Serve with potatoes mashed with lots of butter and cream.

Option C, the whole dinner in one pot:
Start the same way as Option B, with your 3-4 pound brisket and all of your aromatics. After about 4 hours of cooking time, add whole or halved potatoes and/or other root vegetables. Then two hours later, add some sliced or wedged green cabbage. Slice your brisket against the grain, and serve your vegetables on the side.

Variations:
Instead of adding water or broth, try adding an entire bottle of stout and a couple tbs of brown sugar.
I've even substituted apple juice instead of the other cooking liquids and added sliced apples to the party. Then cook it the same way. Low and slow for about 8 or 9 hours.

To make gravy, after it is finished cooking, remove everything from the slow cooker, leaving just the liquid. Whisk in a slurry of flour and cold water to the cooking liquid. Set it to high, and give it a good stir so that the liquid thickens up a little. You can speed up that process by adding some of the strained liquid to a small pot, stir in your slurry of flour and cold water, and then cook it on the stove top over medium heat until it thickens. Be sure to taste the gravy and adjust the seasonings if needed. You probably won't need to add any salt, but maybe a little cracked black pepper.

Joey's Baked Reuben Dip

 Many people ask me where I get my recipes. Well, sometimes I'll see something on a cooking show that will spark an idea. Sometimes it'll be whatever looks freshest at the supermarket. Sometimes it'll be what I'm craving (which usually means some sort of fresh produce). And sometimes it'll depend on whatever ingredients I happen to have on hand, which was exactly the case with this recipe.
 I wanted to make something that would be great to serve at a party, whether it's a holiday, or a celebration, or for whatever big game you happen to be cheering. (Frankly, I've never been one to scream at the television, but hey, you do you.) Anyway, I quickly surveyed the ingredients that were in the fridge and figured this recipe would be an easy something to throw together before your guests arrive. My brother, Chris, happens to make the BEST homemade sauerkraut, check. All of the condiments and a jar of my homemade pickles, check. Cream cheese and Swiss cheese, check. The only thing I was missing was the corned beef! Awesome. I really wasn't following any recipe, just adding Reuben ingredients and some cream cheese to make it a dip! Simple, right? It only took a few minutes to mix everything together and into the oven it went. SO EASY! And seriously just as delicious! If you like a Reuben sandwich, then OF COURSE you'll love this dip because it's basically the same thing!
 And everyone will be so impressed! But you don't have to tell them how easy it was.
 So make this for your next party or game day. Hope your team wins!
Betcha everyone will cheer for YOU too!



1 lb sauerkraut
1 lb corned beef or pastrami
1 lb Swiss cheese
1/4 cup sweet pickles
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs mustard
Salt and pepper to taste


Heat oven to 350ºF.
Drain sauerkraut very well. Chop the corned beef and shred the Swiss cheese. Chop the sweet pickles. Add all to mixing bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix until well combined. Place in a 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until melted and bubbly and a little browned on top. Remove from oven and let it sit for a good 10 minutes. Serve with your favorite crackers.



Tips:
Instead of adding the ketchup/pickles/mayonnaise, just add a cup of thousand island dressing. It's the same thing!
If you want to add a little spice, add a little cayenne pepper.
To make it a little extra creamy, add a tbs or two of sour cream.
If you're only feeding a small group, cut the whole recipe in half!
I used Triscuits because I like how sturdy they are with a dip. But you could also try rye crackers to echo having a Reuben sandwich on rye bread. You could also add a tsp of caraway seeds to the dip to echo that again! Come to think of it, you could even serve it with those little party rye breads. Maybe cut them diagonally and toast them first, just for presentation and proportion. Perfect!

Joey's Corned Beef and Cabbage Casserole

 One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is a casserole. It's always warm and comforting, and it always hits the spot. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you can pretty much throw anything into a casserole and it'll be fabulous! Usually, I like to include something creamy, something cheesy, and some sort of starch, protein, and vegetable. In this case, I decided to make a St Patrick's Day inspired casserole! Lots of corned beef and cabbage in a creamy cheesy sauce, tossed with wide noodles and baked until bubbly and golden on top. Doesn't that sound awesome? It's heaven in a dish! Plus, it's a great way to use up your leftover corned beef and cabbage, giving you a great round two dish that feeds a crowd. And it's a total do-ahead, so you can assemble it ahead of time and then bake it when you're ready to serve. When I told my Jeanie and Daniel what I was making, Daniel said "Theres's no way that's bad" and Jeanie had made a similar casserole too, only she used rye bread crumbs. Great minds, huh? I'm fairly certain my Mom was talking to us. I think she'd have liked this one. You will too!


1 lb egg noodles
1 onion, chopped
1/2 of a green cabbage, chopped
8 oz corned beef (or ham), diced
8 oz Swiss cheese, shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of milk (roughly 1 1/2 cups)
 pinch or two caraway seeds, optional (fennel seeds would also work!)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbs melted butter



Heat oven to 350F.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the noodles until al dente. Drain well.
While the noodles are cooking, saute the cabbage  and onions in a large skillet until tender. In a large bowl, stir together the corned beef, shredded cheese, soup, milk, and salt and pepper. Add cooked onions and cabbage along with the drained noodles to the bowl. Add caraway seeds, if using. Gently toss everything until well combined. Place in a 9x13 baking dish. In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle over the top of your casserole. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


Tips:
When you boil your noodles, make sure to cook them only until al dente. They will continue to cook in the casserole so you're really only partially cooking them at this step. Oh, and be sure the water is well salted!
If you're using leftover boiled cabbage, don't saute it for as long. Just chop it up and add it to the pan with the sauteed onions. You really don't have to saute it at all, but doing this will help evaporate some of the water in the cabbage.
 For a little extra something, add crisped bacon!

Trisha's Cheese Boat

 Doing some holiday entertaining? Or just a movie night with friends? Here's the perfect thing to serve! It's REALLY simple to make and it's a total do-ahead. You just mix together all of the ingredients ahead of time, and then about a half hour before your guests arrive, scoop the mixture into a hollowed loaf of bread and bake. BOOM! Instant party! A, it smells amazing while it's baking. B, it looks impressive. And C, your guests will devour it! Works for me! When I saw Trisha Yearwood making it on her show, she was making it for friends for a poker night. My first thought was ooo Holiday Party! It would also be perfect for a Super Bowl party! (I hear people have them sometimes.)
 So whatever the occasion, give this one a try! I PROMISE it'll be a hit!



1 loaf French or Italian bread

Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
10 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 ounces corned beef, such as Carl Buddig, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Large corn chips, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut an oval in the top of the loaf of bread, scooping out the bread in the center and make a "bread boat." Place the bread on a cooking sheet. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, Cheddar, beef, green onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot sauce, and chili powder until fully combined. Spoon the mixture into the hollow center of the bread loaf. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling, and serve warm with corn chips.

Tips:

If you would rather do a bread bowl instead of a bread boat, just use a round loaf of any kind of bread. Sourdough, pumpernickel, all good!

 Don't have a loaf of bread? Just bake the filling in a casserole dish!

Not a fan of corned beef? Use any kind of meat you like! Sliced deli ham, crisped bacon, or for a spicier twist, how about chopped sliced pepperoni? You really can't go wrong!

Instead of corn chips, I used broken soft pretzels as dippers. Use anything you like!

To make it look even more rich and delicious, I melted some shredded Swiss cheese over the top, just to make it even more ooey gooey. Full disclosure, I had originally intended to reserve some of the Cheddar cheese to melt on top, but I inadvertently mixed it all in with the filling. I just happened to have some Swiss, so I figured why not? Turned out great!!

Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage with Apples

It just wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day without corned beef and cabbage, am I right? Now, I could take a corned beef brisket, throw it in a pot with some potatoes and cabbage, cover it with water, and then boil the hell out of it, but I've decided to go in a different direction.
 I wanted to cook it in a crock pot, (with potatoes and cabbage, of course), but I wanted a different spin. Then I thought of adding apples, because I usually add diced apples to sauerkraut or anything cabbage. So I used those ingredients as a springboard for my recipe search, switched a few things around, and now here we are!
 This recipe couldn't be easier because you just throw everything into the crock pot and turn it on.  And just wait until you taste it! It has that same sort of sweet and salty dynamic as ham and pineapple. Come to think of it, you could probably do this exact same recipe with ham and pineapple instead of corned beef and apples! SO yummy and so simple!!! Even if corned beef isn't high on your list of favorites, I think you should give it a try. This recipe just might change your mind. I'm just sayin'!


1 corned beef brisket (about 4 lbs)
4 cups apple juice (or cider)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbs mustard (any kind: brown, yellow, Dijon, even dry would work)
8-10 small potatoes (baby red, baby yukon gold, fingerling)
1 lb bag baby carrots
2 apples, peeled, cored, and thickly sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 head green cabbage, cut into wedges
Salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a large slow cooker (cut meat in half if necessary). Btw, if your brisket is packed with a seasoning packet, you can either discard it or save it for something else. Stir gently to mix. Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Remove meat and vegetables and some of the meat juices. Slice meat thinly across the grain. Serve with vegetables and a drizzle of the juice over the top.

Tips:
If you don't have a crock pot, you need to stop what you're doing and go and buy one! In the mean time, you can make this recipe in the oven. Just place the everything in a large heavy pot or cast iron Dutch oven, then cover it and bake it in the oven at 350F for about 2 hours or until the meat is fall apart tender.