St. Patrick's Day recap

Anyone do something special for St Patrick's Day this year? Something other than a bar crawl? I'm a little boozed-out after my mini-vacation in Miami, so we opted for the delicious food options instead. My mom used to make corned beef every March 17th, and I wanted to try my hand at it for the first time.

I used this recipe for a honey mustard baked corned beef for the main dish. The recipe is awesome, but I don't get the point of putting the delicious sauce on top of the fat, which neither D nor I will eat. Next time I'll trim the fat, layer the mustard and brown sugar right on the meat, and boil the meat before cooking to remove some of the salt. I also did a more traditional brisket as well with just spices, so friends could pick their own.

To prove my point that there is no such thing as an attractive picture of corned beef (even Martha Stewart's instagram of her St Patty's day meal was so-so), here is the finished product:

yuck.

It tasted good, and the sweetness of the sauce was contrasted with the sharp sauerkraut. I also did a sauteed cabbage with garlic, onions and olive oil, and traditional boiled cabbage as well. Don't forget the rye bread.

We made the broth for the vegetables using Guinness to give it an extra kick, but I have to say I didn't notice the flavor much. It looked much nicer than the meat, though (in my new cast iron pan, whoop!)

Although I said I wasn't feeling boozy, it wouldn't be a party without at least a little juice. Bon Appetit provided the recipe for a Port o' Call, a cocktail involving Guinness, cognac, bitters, and a few liquors to sweeten things up.

While this meal was good, it was no where near as good as the corned beef hash I made D for dinner last night with the leftovers. May be having it tonight as well...