Corned Beef and Cabbage and Friends

St. Patrick's Day
Every kiss-me-I'm-Irish website will tell you that corned beef and cabbage is NOT a typical Irish meal, but an American-as-chop-suey St. Paddy's Day innovation. And as I learned from Kathy when she and Russel came over to celebrate said holiday, both our Jewish mothers cooked it frequently. So who cares - it's a tradition! (Insert chorus from "Fiddler on the Roof" here.)
We started out with appetizers. Yes, there was Irish Shamrock cheddar, and Kathy made a lovely oatmeal bread, but a certain European-Union tone was added by Holt's Italian roast peppers and French brandade de morue (from our Christmas Eve feast, frozen), and Beck's or Dinkelacker beers.
We had been simmering two flat-cut corned beef briskets ($2.47/lb. at IGA) for three hours according to package directions (spices included), and during the appetizer course Holt threw some tiny whole red-skinned potatoes and chunks of carrot into the pot. About eight minutes before we wanted to eat, he took out the briskets to rest and put in the cabbage, cut into eight wedges. When the timer dinged, Holt piled the vegetables into the giant green (natch) cabbageleaf bowl and Barbara sliced the bigger corned beef (see below) for the giant green platter. Three kinds of mustard and horseradish were already on the table, for nose-singeing fun.
Dessert was a wonderful apple galette made by Kathy, and Irish coffee. Believe me, our Jewish eyes were smiling.