Random Recipe Monday - Cabbage and Potato Bake

I'm a fan of corned beef - when it is cooked in a crockpot all day and the fat just melts off the meat, leaving just the good stuff behind. Boiled corned beef rates zero in my book, but crockpot corned beef I can get behind. What I usually can't get behind is the cabbage that typically goes with it. A New England Boiled Dinner would have corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots. I wanted that kind of meal but didn't want the veg messing up my beef.

Perusing FoodNetwork.com, I found a dish that seemed to fit the bill. Emeril's Cabbage and Potato Bake combined the named ingredients, onions and bacon, just for laughs. The whole thing bakes for a couple of hours, transforming the cabbage into a soft and pleasantly disguised veggie tasting of all the other ingredients too. For those not too fond of cooked cabbage, I'll bet you'll be reassured by the plentiful bacon (and drippings) added to the works - even if your cardiologist isn't.

Best of all, for the "I won't touch cabbage" eater in your crowd, the cabbage is at the bottom of the mix, so just scoop the other goodies off the top and peace will reign. It paired really well with the corned beef, and left just enough room for a brown sugar cake with butterscotch frosting. It was a good dinner (if I do say so myself) with even better company.

Happy Belated Grandparents' day to you all. Love to Grammy, Papa, Grandma T and Nana.