Bubble and squeak! Cube the potatoes and carrots, chop the cabbage. Fry in hot fat (butter, oil, whatever) until hot and lots of crispy brown bits have developed. Stir often. Yum, DH's favourite :-) You can chop and fry an onion with the rest of the vegies if you like.

This is somewhat OT, but as long as we're talking about saltpeter (Potassium Nitrate): During the Civil War, the South had shortages of many items. One of the more critical ones was saltpeter, which is crucial for making gunpowder. A certain Judge John Haralson devised a way to extract potassium nitrate (also called 'nitre') from urine, and commenced upon a crusade to have the ladies of the Confederacy collect the contents of their chamber pots so they could make gunpowder. (I'm not making any of this up. Seriously.) When the word of this effort came out, there were several satirical ditties published. I have take one of the more widely circulated ones and bowdlerized it a bit to help evade the screening software, but I have no doubts that the intrepid denizens of this forum can (literally) fill in the blanks. I "Jno Haralson! Jno Haralson! We read in song and story That women's in all these years, Have sprinkled fields of glory; But never was it told before That how, midst scenes of slaughter Your Southern beauties dried their tears And went to making water. II No wonder, Jno., your boys were brave Who would not be a fighter If every time he shot his gun He used his sweetheart's nitre? And, vice verse what could make A Yankee soldier sadder Than dodging bullets fired from A pretty woman's bladder. III They say there was a subtle smell That lingered in the powder; And as the smoke grew thicker, And the din of battle grew louder That there was found in this compound This serious objection; The soldiers could not sniff it in Without getting an e________n."

I know this is an old post but def relevant. I do rinse mine...no problem. Plenty of flavor. I posted this before, but this has been my go-to method for corned beef for years (courtesy of the Silver Palate duo). Always delish. Corned Beef and Cabbage (Serves 4-6) 1 corned beef (5-6 pounds...I prefer a flat cut) 2 onions, studded with 3 whole cloves (can be halved or quartered; cloves optional) 4 carrots, peeled and halved 2 ribs celery, halved 4 sprigs Italian parsle 1 green cabbage (about 3 pounds), cut into 6 wedges (See *Note below) 12 small red new potatoes 6 small leeks (white part and 2 inches of green), well rinsed (See *Note below) 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 1/2-inch lengths Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 4 T. chopped Italian parsley Place corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, halved carrots, celery, and parsley sprigs (use seasoning packet if provided with your corned beef). Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 3/4 to 3 hours, turning beef over in broth every 30 minutes. DO NOT allow water to boil again; keeping at low simmer will ensure tenderness. When it is very tender, remove it from kettle and keep warm. Strain the broth and return it to the kettle. Add the cabbage, potatoes, leeks, cut-up carrots, salt and pepper, and 2 T. of the chopped parsley. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, 30 minutes. Arrange beef on warmed serving plater, and surround it with the cooked vegetables. Ladle broth over beef and vegetables, and sprinkle with remaining 2 T. chopped parsley *Note: Keeping the core in the cabbage wedges will help hold them together while cooking. Remove the core before serving. After thoroughly washing, leeks can be tied together with kitchen twine/string; remove for serving. Horseradish Cream Sauce (Optional but tasty) This makes 2 cups of sauce. Easy to reduce if needed. 3/4 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup prepared horseradish, drained 2 T. Dijon mustard Pinch of sugar Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste Whip cream in bowl until it forms soft peaks. Combine mayonnaise, horseradish, and mustard in another bowl. Fold in whipped cream. Add sugar, salt and pepper. Stir well, and transfer to serving bowl.

Because of this thread, I bought and cooked corned beef brisket last week. It was wonderful!! Very tender and very flavorful. I wondered why I don't cook them more often. Because of this thread I learned to buy a "flat." Until this thread, I did not know there was a difference, or even a choice. I opted for the long simmer in the oven, rather than the bake. I wanted something that would take little of my attention because I was in the middle of making the "car bomb" cupcakes. Rather than cooking the veggies with the brisket, I cooked them separately, mainly because I wanted to make skillet-roasted potatoes (not a fan of boiled potatoes). We got 2 meals out of it, then I got a corned beef sandwich and to finish up the "crumbs," I made a dab of corned beef salad to munch on with crackers. I ♥ CF