Corned silverside with white sauce

A bare simmer, never a boil. Corned meat boiled hard goes tight and dry; kept just under the boil for two and a half hours it slices soft.

Serves

6 people

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

2 hours 30 minutes

Buy the cut All recipes

From the shop

Start with a corned silverside, sold as a 1.5 kg piece. It is already corned; the pot does the rest.

Let the meat cool in its cooking liquid if you are slicing it for sandwiches. It stays moist and slices thinner cold.

Ingredients

For the pot

• 1.5 kg corned silverside
• 1 brown onion, halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp malt vinegar
• 6 black peppercorns

White sauce

• 30 g butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 400 ml milk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard, or 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• Salt and white pepper

Method

1. Rinse the silverside under cold water. Put it in a large pot. Cover it with cold water by 5 cm.
2. Add the onion, bay leaves, sugar, vinegar and peppercorns. Bring slowly to a simmer over medium heat. Skim any foam.
3. Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and cook at a bare simmer for 2 hours 30 minutes, until a skewer slides in easily. Top up with hot water if the meat shows above the liquid.
4. Rest the meat in the liquid for 15 minutes while you make the sauce.
5. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Stir in the flour for 1 minute. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking, until smooth. Simmer for 3 minutes until thick. Stir in the mustard or parsley. Season.
6. Lift the meat out. Slice it across the grain.

Serve it

Serve with boiled potatoes, carrots and cabbage, and the white sauce over the top.