Corned Beef, Cabbage and Mashed Potatoes

Oh my gosh, I've been SO lazy in the kitchen the past couple weeks! I'm still feeling pretty lazy so I pulled out my crock pot today for corned beef and cabbage and some yummy mashed potatoes. I'm a little early for St. Patrick's Day, but that just gives you time to find this recipe and go shopping! There are several brands of corned beef brisket out there but Cook's seems to be the brand that's most available at my local market. Whatever brand you find, be sure to buy flat cut, not point. You may also want to pick up some slow cooker liners. They make clean up SO much easier.

I try to only slice what I'm going to serve so that I don't have leftover slices to refrigerate. I prefer to have a big hunk of leftover brisket that I can refrigerate, and slice thin for sandwich meat. Or I have a really amazing recipe for corned beef hash that I make a couple times a year, which I will share later. The corned beef hash isn't a dish you can really get away with often, but that's what flex points are for, and it's really impressive for company.

Corned Beef

Ingredients:

1 flat cut corned beef brisket*

* They usually run between 2-3 lbs. Cook time is the same, regardless.

Instructions:

• Remove brisket from package and place in crockpot, fat side up (after placing your slow cooker liner, if you so choose). The spice packet will likely be stuck to the brisket - usually on the bottom - so check around and find it.
• Empty spice packet on top of corned beef and cover with water until crock pot is 2/3 - 3/4 full.
• Cover crock pot and set to low heat. Cook for at least 6 hours, no more than 10. I usually shoot for 8 hours.
• Remove corned beef to a cutting board and slice fat off the top. Discard fat and slice corned beef against the grain.
  

Serves 4-6. Weight Watchers Points = 9/ea

Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 head green cabbage

Optional: toothpicks 

Instructions:

• Using a sharp chef's knife, very carefully quarter* your cabbage, trying to cut into the center of the bottom to keep your leaves together. If you like, stick a toothpick into the top of each wedge, pointing down. This will help prevent loose leaves while cooking, but it's not a must.
• About 30 minutes prior to corned beef being done, add the cabbage to your crock pot. Use tongs to arrange the corned beef on top of the cabbage wedges. If this seems like a hassle, or your crock pot isn't large enough, feel free to remove your corned beef to a cutting board and loosely cover with foil while your cabbage simmers.
• After 30-45 minutes, your cabbage should be looking a little translucent and is ready to eat! Remove to a dish lined with paper towels to allow cabbage to drain for a minute, then serve.

 *If you're serving more than four, I'm sure you could cut the cabbage in up to eighths and still have everyone full and happy with their slice, depending on the size of your cabbage.

Serves 4-6. Weight Watchers Points = 0/ea

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup milk +/-

Tips:

You know how to make mashed potatoes. Even you haven't done it, you know how to make mashed potatoes! A brief overview: Scrub potatoes, skin potatoes (or don't if you don't want them waterlogged), cut potatoes (or don't, if you don't want them waterlogged) boil potatoes until tender and can be split with a fork. Drain potatoes. If you haven't already, skin potatoes by hand (or don't, if you like skins), but be careful, they're hot! In the pot you used to boil them, add to potatoes: butter, milk to your liking. Start small with the milk because you really can't fix too much milk (If you disagree, please share your secret because I've served mashed potato soup by mistake after adding too much milk!). Mash away! I use a wire masher but despite what you've heard, you can use a hand mixer, or stand mixer and wind up with perfectly delicious mashed potatoes. That's only if you don't skin or cut your potatoes prior to boiling. If you skin and cut prior to boiling, you'll wind up with a funky, starchy, glue-y mash using a mixer.

Serves 4-6. Weight Watchers Points = 6/ea for 4 servings or 4/ea for 6 servings.

The picture isn't so hot because the food was cold here. It smelled so yummy that we were half way done by the time I remembered my camera, so I arranged a plate later for pics: