Leftovers Revisited

On Saturday, we had corned beef and cabbage like good Irish folk.  Of course, making 2 giant corned beef meant lots of leftovers, and that was fine by me, because I had an idea brewing.  I had seen an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives where they went to some Irish pub and had stuffed cabbage filled with corned beef and mashed potatoes.  They also had some sort of a mustard sauce, which I hate, but it got me thinking.

I based my ideas off a recipe on About.com, but I changed enough that I will just write what I did here.  I think the meal was a success.  Mom, Kenzie and Mark all had seconds (Nick refused to eat it because he hates vegetables and anything that might be good for you).  I definitely think the cheese sauce is mandatory.  It was delicious with the stuffed cabbage, even if that sounds like a strange mix (it did to me, but I totally get it now).  This was also a ridiculously easy meal, since everything was basically already cooked (the potatoes and corned beef).  The only hard part was removing the leaves from the cabbage in solid-enough form to be able to roll them.  Most of my rolls had large holes or rips in them.  I have a newfound respect for the good people at Shiraz making their lahana dolma!



Recipe:
Corned beef stuffed cabbage
Adapted from http://southernfood.about.com/od/cornedbeefandbrisket/r/r90328b.htm

1 large head cabbage

3 cups diced cooked corned beef

3 cups diced cooked potatoes

1 cup chopped cooked carrot

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

dash black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 1/2  cups beef broth

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

1)  Heat oven to 350°.

2) Separate leaves from cabbage (good luck with this part). Put leaves in a large cooking pot with a little water; cover and let the leaves steam just until slightly wilted and flexible.

3) In a large bowl, combine the corned beef, potatoes, carrots, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir in the egg.

4) Place some filling on the cabbage leaf, tuck sides in, and roll up. Place in a large baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining corned beef mixture and cabbage leaves, until all are used. If you have any cabbage leaves left, you can add them to the pot.

5)  Pour beef broth over the cabbage, cover tightly, and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes.

6) Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in flour until blended and smooth. Add the milk and continue cooking, stirring, until thickened. Add the cheese and cook until melted. Taste and add salt and pepper, to taste.

7) Serve cabbage rolls with the cheese sauce.