This Corned Beef Casserole Is Best Consumed While Drunk

As a fan of salty meats, carbs, and cabbage, corned beef and cabbage—aka the New England Boiled Dinner—has always been my favorite part of St. Patrick’s Day. (You probably thought it was the drinking, but only amateurs need a “reason” to drink too much whiskey and get into a fight with some girl named Megan.)

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As luck (of the Irish) would have it, this festive, salty meal takes well to casseroling. Meat and vegetable come together in one harmonious bite, negating the need for knives and making it much easier to shovel into your drunken (or hungover) mouth. Beyond the meat and cruciferous leaves, I added mashed potatoes (because I already had some made, and felt they would make a nice base layer), an Irish whiskey cream sauce, and some butter-soaked soda bread, because every casserole needs a crumbly golden layer. If you don’t have mashed potatoes, you can use roasted or boiled new potatoes, hash browns, or tater tots, because all potatoes are good options. You can also mix it up with vegetables, and sauté some shredded carrots or parsnips if that’s your deal.

To make your own comforting Guinness sponge, you will need:

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• 2 cups of mashed potatoes, however you make them

• Half a head of cabbage, sliced into ribbons

• 6 tablespoons of butter, divided into three portions

• 1 small onion, sliced thin

• 3/4 cup Irish whiskey

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

• 3/4 pound of leftover or store-bought cooked corn beef, cut into bite-sized strips or chunks

• 2 cups cubed Irish soda bread

Grease a 5 x 9-ish casserole dish with butter and press your mashed potatoes down into the dish. Rough ‘em up a bit to form some nice peaks and valleys.

Credit: Claire Lower

Melt the two tablespoons of butter in a big pan, add the cabbage, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the cabbage until it’s nice and soft, and has caramelized a bit. Transfer it to a bowl, then add two more tablespoons of butter and the onions. Salt and pepper those guys, and cook them down until they too are nice and soft, with some sweet caramelized color. Add them to the bowl with the cabbage.

Credit: Claire Lower

Deglaze the pan with whiskey and let it reduce until your kitchen smells aggressively of ethanol, leaving you with a shot’s worth of a nice, dark reduction. Add it to the vegetables, stir it all up with the sour cream and mustard, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Layer this creamy goodness over your mashed potatoes, then push half of your beef down into the cabbage-y, potato-y morass of beige deliciousness.

Sprinkle half of your soda bread on top, pile on the rest of your sour cream and cabbage mixture, and add the rest of the beef. Exclaim “THERE’S THE BEEF!” if it feels right.

Shove the whole thing in a 375-degree oven and cook until the edges begin to brown (20-30 minutes). While that’s happening, toss the rest of your bread in the rest of your (melted) butter. Sprinkle it on top of your ‘roled masterpiece, then pop it all back in the oven until it’s golden brown.

Credit: Claire Lower

If I were you, I would assemble this before March 17, and return it to the oven as soon as you’re hit by those post-libation munchies. Spoon the casserole onto a plate or directly into your mouth, let the creamy carbs and salty meat do its thing in your drunken belly, and go to bed. The late-night St. Patrick’s day scene is a hot mess at best (and especially this year, probably); your night is better spent enjoying a hot dish.