We'll definitely do a traditional boiled New England style or in the crockpot plus an oven beer braised corned beef that gets cooked in a dutch oven with dark beer, onions, garlic and chicken or beef broth. (That link isn't to the exact recipe I use but you'll get the idea. I also strain the pan drippings and boil down the liquid till I get a thick, rich gravy.)
But if you're having corned beef, is colcannon one of the side dishes to go with it?
I never even knew what colcannon was until my daughter – a somewhat picky eater at that point in her life – came home from a Girl Scout "International Day" event and raved about the "colcannon" a friend's mom had made.
Totally unfamiliar with it I ended up finding a recipe for Diane's Colcannon featuring cabbage, bacon, and onion that I use to this day.
This article has some background on the history of colcannon as well as another recipe for it, this time featuring kale – but no bacon – to go with the cabbage and onion.
Either way you serve it, colcannon is a definite family-pleaser whether it's St. Patrick's Week or not. – Dan Taylor
