Corned Beef

Ingredients:
One 3-pound corned beef brisket (uncooked), in brine
16 cups cold water
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
4 whole allspice berries
2 whole cloves
1/2 large head green cabbage (about 2 pounds), cut into 8 thick wedges
8 small new potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), halved
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs chopped dill

Serving suggestion: Whole-grain mustard

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Place the corned beef in a colander in the sink and rinse well under cold running water.

Place the corned beef in cocotte like Le Creuset or Staub, with a tight-fitting lid; add the water, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, and cloves. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Cover and transfer pan to the oven, and braise until very tender, about 3 hours and 45 minutes.

At about 3 hours, pull out the pot, and pour some of the liquid into another large pot, add potatoes to it and bring to a boil. For the last 10 minutes of potatoes cooking, throw in the cabbage (you don’t want mushy cabbage, trust me). Once the potatoes and the cabbage are done, drain them and toss with some freshly cut dill.

Pull the brisket from the pot, slice and serve immediately with cabbage and potatoes, and mustard.