Jiggs Dinner with a Swedish Twist

Jiggs Dinner with a Swedish Twist

Nothing says the month of March like Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner.  This is my husband's favorite dinner.   He asks for this dish every year on his birthday - it has been a tradition since my husband was a child. 

Jiggs Dinner is an Irish dish that is really very simple.  However, this version that I am sharing with you today has a Swedish twist.  The superiority of this recipe comes from the glaze which was the mastermind of my husband's Swedish Grandma.  My mother-in-law passed this recipe down to me and now I am going to share it with you - she said that there is no real recipe but that it was just something that her mom did (I do have her permission to share).

1 Corned Beef Roast/Brisket (2 to 3 lbs - raw)                  Printable Recipe

7 to 8 large carrots (peeled and quartered)

7 to 8 medium potatoes (peeled and cut in half)

1 small head of cabbage (cored and cut into 6 large wedges)

Take the corned beef out of the package and place in a large stock pot or dutch oven.  Cover with water - about 1 inch over the meat.  There should be a small package of herbs and spices included with the corned beef - sprinkle that into the water also (if there is no package included then add 1 tablespoon of pickling spices) (see the top right picture).  Place on the stove and Bring to a boil and boil the meat 1 hour per pound (the corned beef that I cooked was 2 1/2 pounds so I boiled it for 2.5 hours).

While the beef is boiling - prepare the vegetables as described above.  After the beef has boiled for the appropriate amount of time, remove the beef from the water (DO NOT DRAIN THE WATER - you will need this water to boil the vegetables).  Place the piece of meat on a buttered (or sprayed) ovensafe glass pyrex dish.  Now add the vegetables to the boiling water and boil for about 20 to 30 minutes.

It is time to glaze the meat while the vegetables are boiling.

Glaze:

2 to 3 tablespoons yellow mustard

about 1/3 cup brown sugar (you might need more depending on the surface size of the corned beef)

a couple dashes of ground cloves

Simply drizzle or spread the yellow mustard on the top of the brisket (see picture below on the left) - spread it with a knife.  Now sprinkle that mustard topping with brown sugar - enough to cover the surface (see bottom right picture).  Finally top with a few dashes of ground cloves and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes (or until desired color and texture of the glaze is achieved).  Once baked the glazed meat should look like the very top picture - "caramelly-goodness."

Both the meat and the vegetables should be finished cooking at the same time.

Drain the vegetables and take the meat out of the oven.

Cut......Serve.......and ENJOY!