Corned Beef Dinner (Bim's)

I used to make this every year around St. Patrick's Day for Dad. 

Corned beef: The corned beef cooks down, so allow 1 pound per person minimum, more if you plan to have enough leftovers to make corned beef hash and eggs for the next day's breakfast or dinner. Rinse your corned beef under running water to remove surface brine. Transfer to large pot and cover with water. Add a small handful of pickling spice. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and let simmer, until a fork penetrates easily. It can take up to an hour per pound.

The vegetables: In the meantime, cook the potatoes (1 per person, pared and quartered) in a separate pot. Cover them with water, add salt, bring to the boil, lower heat, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until soft when tested with fork. Also, in another pot cook pearl onions in boiling water. When soft, remove from water, let cool and peel.

When the beef is done, remove from pot and let sit on a wooden board covered with foil (to keep warm) while you make the vegetables. Bring the stock to boil and add: Carrots (1 per person, peeled and sliced) and parsnips (1 per person, peeled and sliced). Simmer for about 15 minutes, until fork penetrates easily. Remove from stock with slotted spoon. Add to stock 1 head cabbage, cut into small wedges, and simmer for about 15 minutes. When cabbage is done, add back the other vegetables and potatoes to the warm stock, turn off the heat, and cover the pot, to keep everything warm while you slice the beef.

When all is done, slice the meat diagonally across the grain. Place on large platter. Place potatoes and vegetables on the same platter. Brush melted butter over the potatoes and sprinkle chopped parsley over all.

Horseradish sauce: Prepare a white sauce by melting 2 T. butter, and whisking in 2 T. flour. Add 1 C. milk, whisk and let simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Remove from heat and add 3 T. horseradish, 1T. heavy cream, 1 t. sugar, 1 t. dry mustard, 1 T. vinegar.

Leftovers -- Corned beef hash and eggs: After dinner, chop everything coarsely and stir together to make a hash. The next day, fry the hash in a little butter until warm. Serve with eggs, toast, and reheated horseradish sauce.