Corned Silverside

Growing up, we used to make our own corned beef as it was a way of using some of the tougher cuts, since we had to use everything. Mum used to serve it with mashed potatoes, carrots, and a parsley white sauce, so it was super traditional.

Later, as a young adult, I had it whilst staying at a farm in the Taranaki region and realised how much I enjoyed it, so it was really fun to see a recipe recently for Slow Cooker Corned Beef, and it being the cold of Winter, now a perfect time to share.

• 2.5kg piece of raw corned silverside, fat removed, rinsed

• 1 litre (4 cups) water

• 1 medium brown onion, coarsely chopped

• 10 whole peppercorns

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tbsp Brown sugar

Place the silverside into the bowl of a 5-litre slow-cooker. Add water, onion, peppercorns, bay leaves and sugar.

Cover with the lid. Turn the slow-cooker on low. Cook for 8 hours or until the silverside is tender. Serve with mashed potatoes and carrots.

Parsley sauce

• 50g butter

• 50g plain flour

• 500ml milk

• A good pinch of nutmeg

• 3 sprigs of parsley, finely chopped

• Salt, to taste

Meanwhile, for the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux and cook, stirring constantly for a minute. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Once the milk has been incorporated, add a ladleful of the corned beef stock from slow cooker. Turn the heat to medium–high and whisk until the mixture is thick. Remove from the heat and stir through the parsley. Check seasoning. It should be salty enough when a ladleful of the corned beef stock has been added.