St. Patrick's Day Box
Corned Beef, Colcannon, and leftover Irish Beef Hash
May joy and peace surround you, contentment latch your door, and happiness be with you now, and bless you evermore.
– Irish Blessing
With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, I’m remembering the amazing community of makers that came together every week to make our boxes possible — rain or shine, in pandemic or health, it was truly a community effort. Bakers, chocolatiers, ranchers, growers, our packers, our customers, our team… Food, of course, is community.
But the corned beef and colcannon recipes we featured in our yearly St. Patrick’s Day boxes are now a tradition after repeating this box for so many years. I continue to this day even without my boxes to make it easier. There’s nothing like corned beef you cook yourself — and Colcannon is the perfect accompaniment. You can find pre-brined corned beef at the supermarket, or order it online (search for pasture-raised corned beef, like this one).
Bonus: We also have a recipe for your leftovers: Irish Beef Hash, which is also something to really look forward to. You get two meals from this project…
Corned Beef & Colcannon
Ingredients:
1 12 oz bottle of Stout (opt)
Corned Beef
several potatoes, scrubbed (1-2 per person depending on size)
2 sticks butter
1 1/4 cups hot milk
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head cabbage, cored and finely shredded
4 scallions, finely chopped
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
Instructions
Place corned beef in a large pot, add stout and/or water enough to cover by 1 inch. Heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 1/4 hours. You can also use your Instant Pot for this if you have one.
Steam the potatoes in their skins for 30 minutes. Peel them using a knife and fork. Chop with a knife before mashing. Mash thoroughly to remove all the lumps. Add 1 stick of butter in pieces. Gradually add hot milk, stirring all the time. Season with a few grinds of black pepper.
Boil the cabbage in unsalted water until it turns a darker color. Add 2 tablespoons butter to tenderize it. Cover with lid for 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly before returning it to the pan. Chop into small pieces.
Add cabbage and scallions to mashed potatoes, stirring them in gently.
Serve in individual soup plates. Make an indentation on the top by swirling a wooden spoon. Put 1 tablespoon of butter into each indentation. Sprinkle with parsley.
Take 2/3rds of the corned beef (refrigerate the rest for the Irish Hash recipe). Cut beef against grain into 1/4-inch thick slices and serve with your Colcannon, seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with chives and more parsley.
Irish Beef Hash
Ingredients:
Cooked corned beef, (leftovers)
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
4 large eggs (or more, if desired)
2-4 potatoes, scrubbed and diced into pieces about 1/2" in size
1/2 onion, sliced
Shred the leftover beef - ideally enough to measure 2 cups (reserve any remaining corned beef for sandwiches or snacking).
Put the diced potato and the sliced onion in a small pot of water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add a little salt to the pot, and cook at a low simmer until the potatoes are tender. Drain, and leave the potatoes and onions in the strainer to dry a little.
Preheat oven to 200°. Toss cooked onion and potato in a large bowl with corned beef and ¼ cup parsley. Moisten with cooking water, or stock, if mixture is dry; season with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ½ of corned beef mixture and press into a pancake. Cook undisturbed until underside is brown and crisp, 6–8 minutes. Set a plate over pan and carefully invert pancake onto plate; slide back into pan, pressing back into shape if needed. Cook until second side is brown and crisp, 6–8 minutes. Transfer hash to a rimmed baking sheet (it may break up a little), tent with foil, and keep warm in oven until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining butter and corned beef mixture.
Meanwhile, heat a medium sized nonstick pan over medium heat, and put the neutral oil into it. When the oil is hot, crack 4 large eggs into it, and fry. When the whites are mostly set, turn the eggs over carefully and turn off the heat.
Serve eggs over hash, seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with chives and more parsley.