Baked Corned Beef

This recipe is GOLD.  Very, very tasty and absolutely delicious when served with the potatoes recommended.  (I didn't use kipfler ones though - they were unavailable at the time.)  I also served this with cooked cabbage which really set the meal off.  The meat was really, really tender and the sauce from the potatoes mixed extremely well with the meat.

*Taken from Karen Martini's 'Cooking at Home', page 162, published 2008*

Ingredients

1.5 kg piece corned beef

2 bay leaves

2 tbs black peppercorns

2 carrots, sliced

3 celery sticks, sliced

2 leeks, trimmed and sliced

1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley

1 whole bulb garlic, unpeeled, cut in half length ways and cloves separated

4 sprigs thyme

For the Mustard Kipflers

8 large kipfler potatoes, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

200ml pouring cream

4 tbs Dijon mustard

3 tbs seeded mustard

sea salt and freshly grounded black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.  Place the beef in a large ovenproof dish and cover with cold water.  Bring to the boil over high heat, then remove the beef and drain the liquid.  Return the beef to the dish, add the bay leaves, peppercorns, carrots, celery, leeks, parsley, garlic and thyme and cover with boiling water.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cover and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours or until tender.

Meanwhile, to make the mustard kipflers, boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for about 15-20 minutes or until tender.  Drain and place in a large bowl.  Add the onions, cream and mustards, then season.

Remove the beef from the dish ans discard the other flavourings.  Cut the beef into slices and serve with the mustard kipfler potatoes.

Serves 6