Our cookbook collection numbers in the hundreds, yet we don’t own even one Irish cookbook. Is Irish cuisine an oxymoron?

Having once lived in Dublin, I can attest to the fact that the food was fairly forgettable; what I remember most were the Sunday dinners with my Irish boyfriend’s family, where his mother would serve up potatoes cooked six different ways. Well, OK, maybe only two or three. Whatever. It was a lot of potatoes.

Some holidays call for elaborate meals requiring special ingredients and hours of preparation, but the classic St. Patrick’s Day dish is corned beef and cabbage; could holiday fare get any humbler? As Mark Bittman says in How to Cook Everything, “Cooking corned beef is as close to a no-brainer as there is.”

Bittman points out that corned beef is a good candidate for the crock-pot, and that’s how I cooked my all-natural, uncured corned beef brisket from Wellshire Farms. If Irish cuisine is an oxymoron, healthy Irish cuisine may be even more so, but it’s great to have a pre-brined corned beef that’s nitrate-free and hasn’t been pickled in chemical preservatives.

I bought my corned beef at Whole Foods, which also offers its own naturally raised corned beef. Both were priced at $4.99 a pound; how to choose? I went for the Wellshire Farms corned beef because it comes already coated with the traditional spices: chopped, crushed bay leaves, mustard seed, and allspice.

After nine hours in the slow cooker, my brisket is like butter; pickled perfection. I’m going to serve it on St. Paddy’s day when it will taste even better. If you don’t have a slow cooker you can cook your corned beef and cabbage in a big pot on the stove, simmering for several hours (add the cabbage towards the end, unless you prefer it mushy).

Classic Corned Beef and Cabbage

(serves four to six)

6 medium red potatoes, quartered

4 medium carrots, cut into 1” chunks

2 medium onion, cut into wedges

1 3-to-4 pound Wellshire Farms corned beef brisket, with spices

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

1 pint Guinness extra stout

1 medium green cabbage, cut into wedges and secured with kitchen twine

Dijon mustard for serving

Put the potatoes, carrots, and onions in the slow cooker, and lay the brisket on top. Sprinkle the sugar on top and pour in the beer, plus enough water to just cover the top of the brisket. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours.

Remove the corned beef and vegetables; add the cabbage to the liquid and cook on high for about half an hour.

Add the cabbage to the corned beef and other vegetables; serve with mustard.