colcannon

 
Potato Week - Day 4!

Now that we've got some Irish in the family, it's time I posted a decent Irish recipe. And if it's Irish, of course the recipe needs to include potatoes.

My sister, Stinky, came home from her year in Amsterdam with a lovely Irish lass, M.E., whose stories about "Gordon science" and quaint villages with men reeking of silage put me in stitches.

Colcannon, or cál ceannann, is a delicious way of using up leftover cabbage or potatoes by throwing them together into a tasty mash. Traditionally I think white cabbage was used, but I prefer the colour and flavour of kale in this recipe.

I could eat a plate of the stuff for dinner without anything else!

There are as many colcannon recipes as there are cooks in Ireland, so you could easily find versions with leeks, chives, garlic, ham and bacon.

This one's for you M.E.!

Colcannon

Based on a recipe by Maggie Beer. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1kg potatoes
400g cabbage, shredded
100g butter
100ml milk
3 spring onions, sliced
Salt and white pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water until soft but not falling apart. When cooked, drain off water and allow to steam dry.

2. Steam cabbage until tender but crisp, about 2 or three minutes.

3. Warm butter and milk in a pan. Set aside.

4. While potatoes are still warm, put through a mouli/ricer.

5. Add cabbage and spring onion and mix in the milk and butter. Season to taste.