For the four decades of my life that were spent in Savannah, the end of winter was marked by an unbridled celebration of St. Patrick's Day. In the Georgia Lowcountry, winter was effectively over well before then and the equinox was still a few days away, but that was when Savannah embraced the season with green dye dumped into its namesake river, vats of beer, and cauldrons of grits.
And corned beef. Everywhere.
Five years removed from that celebration, if I never see another green river, to-go cup of green beer, or those disquietingly green grits, it could not be too soon. But the once-a-year lure of corned beef endures, even though there's just two of us, we're to the age that a lot of salt-cured meat is no longer a good idea, and we live in Virginia, where the celebrated salt-cured meat is of the porcine variety.
The problem is less how much of it we eat in a single sitting than what (other than the obvious hash) to do with the leftovers.
This year's solution was an old fashioned cottage pie, basically a pot pie that's topped with mashed potatoes instead of pastry. Called shepherd's pie when the meat is lamb or mutton, these simple supper casseroles are a time-honored way to give the leftovers from a roast new life.
And if you take it to a pot-luck gathering, it also spreads the goodness (and with corned beef, the extra sodium) around.
Corned Beef Cottage Pie
Serves 6
5-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, or more if needed (see step 4)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, trimmed, split lengthwise, peeled, and diced small
2 large or 3-4 medium carrots, trimmed, peeled, and diced
2 large or 3 medium ribs celery, washed, strung, and diced
1 large clove garlic, lightly crushed, peeled, and minced
1 generous cup diced leftover cooked cabbage from the corned beef (optional)
4 tablespoons instant blending or all-purpose flour
3 cups beef broth
Whole black pepper in a mill
Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 rounded tablespoon fresh or 1 rounded teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3 cups diced leftover cooked corned beef (preferably flat-cut brisket)
Salt
3 pounds (about 4) large mature russet potatoes
About 1-1¼ cups whole milk, heated
1. Butter a 2½-to-3-quart casserole and set it aside. Warm 2 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil in a deep, lidded 12-inch seasoned iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until it's translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and sauté until they're softened, about 4-5 minutes longer. Add the garlic and leftover cabbage, if using, and sauté until the cabbage is hot and the garlic fragrant, about a minute.
2. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir until it evenly coats everything. Gradually stir in the broth and ½ cup of water. Raise the heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and cook until it thickens then adjust the heat to a steady simmer, season to taste with pepper and Worcestershire, and stir in the ketchup and thyme. Cover and let it come back to a simmer and cook 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender, then fold in the corned beef. Let it return to a simmer and cook another 3-4 minutes, uncovered. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt if needed, and remove it from the heat. Transfer it to the prepared casserole and level the top with a spatula. Let it cool while you prepare the potatoes, but for at least 15-20 minutes.
3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375° F. In a perfect world, the best way to cook potatoes for mashing is whole. Alas, we don't live in such a world. Peel and cut the potatoes into even chunks, adding them as you go to a 3-4 quart pot with just enough cold water in it to cover them. Sprinkle in a large pinch of salt, loosely cover, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Adjust the heat to a steady simmer and cook until they're tender, about 6-8 minutes, depending on the potatoes and the size of the chunks.
4. Drain the potatoes, cover, and let them sit off the heat for a couple of minutes. Return the pan to low heat, add 3 tablespoons of butter cut into bits (or more, to suit your taste) and mash them with a potato masher until smooth, then gradually mix in the hot milk, still using the masher, until they're the texture that suits you. They should be stiffer for a cottage pie than you'd make if you're serving them as a side dish, but still not too stiff to spread. Taste and add salt as needed.
5. Dollop the potatoes evenly over the top of the corned beef filling, then gently spread them with a spatula to cover the entire dish. If you like, rake the top decoratively with a fork, then bake in the center of the oven until the filling is bubbly and the potatoes are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let it rest at least 10 minutes before serving.