Hearty Irish dish simple, satisfying

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/03/2016 (3821 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last month, Susan McCulloch wrote in looking for a recipe for colcannon, a good Irish potato dish, in particular the version served by restaurateurs Johanna and Heinz Kattenfeld when they ran Tavern in the Park.

I’m not sure if we’ve replicated that dish exactly, but we do have two very good recipes, thanks to Marcy Mazur, who sent in a variation that uses bacon, and to Patty Faulkner, who offers a recipe from an Irish cookbook, Savouring Ireland: Cooking Through the Seasons, by Nuala Cullen.

This simple dish combines mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale. (Before kale was a trendy superfood, it was just a good hardy peasant vegetable.) A variation made with green onions or chives is called champ. Colcannon and champ are traditionally served at Halloween in Ireland, but you can always cook some up for St. Patrick’s Day.

This week, Marcia Sealey has a nostalgic request for the date and nut loaf sold at the Dominion Stores, a grocery chain that pulled out of Winnipeg in the 1980s and is now only found out east.

If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you’d like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 204-697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

 

Colcannon

 

1 kg (about 2 1/4 lbs) starchy potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 slices bacon
1/2 small head green cabbage, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
125 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste
60 ml (1/4 cup) butter, melted

 

In a large pot, place potatoes with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.

In large, deep skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until evenly brown. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, crumble and set aside. In the bacon drippings remaining in skillet, sauté the cabbage and onion until soft and translucent. (Putting a lid on the pan helps the vegetables cook faster.)

Drain the cooked potatoes, mash with milk (see notes) and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the bacon and the cabbage and onion mixture, then transfer to a large serving bowl. Make a well in the centre of the potatoes and pour in the melted butter. Serve immediately.

Tester’s notes: This is so good and so simple. I used russet potatoes, which are starchy and mash up nice and fluffy. (One Irish recipe I saw specified “old potatoes,” meaning no waxy red potatoes or fingerlings.) I also warmed the milk before adding. Adding ice-cold milk to mashed potatoes can make them gluey.

Colcannon with Kale

 

• 450 g (1 lb) kale or cabbage
• 675 g (1 1/2 lbs) starchy potatoes, unpeeled
• 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
• 175 ml (3/4 cup) cream or whole milk, heated
• 110 g (4 oz or 1/2 cup) butter, melted and divided
• Salt and white pepper, to taste

 

Remove the hard stalks from the kale or cabbage. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook until tender. (Mature kale can take about 20-25 minutes, while cabbage will take less.) Drain very well, press out any remaining water and chop finely. In another large pot of salted boiling water, cook unpeeled potatoes until soft, drain, return to pan and dry over lowered heat for a few minutes covered with a tea towel. Peel and mash thoroughly by hand, removing any lumps. Do not use a food processor.

The green onions can be cooked in the cream or the milk for a few minutes or added raw, depending on your taste. Add them to the potatoes with the hot cream or milk, 60 ml (1/4 cup) melted butter and the kale or cabbage. Mix thoroughly together, add salt and pepper, check and adjust the seasoning, and put into a large serving bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in remaining butter. Serve very hot.

Tester’s notes: This is another tasty version, and the kale makes a colourful and healthy addition. (Kale is the most traditional addition for colcannon, though some recipes call for Savoy or green cabbage.) Some cooks swear by cooking whole unpeeled potatoes for mashing, which keeps them from getting waterlogged. It does increase the cooking time, and it’s important to choose potatoes of a uniform size so they finish cooking at the same time. Peeling the hot cooked potatoes is not as fiddly as it sounds, as the skins should slide off easily. As the recipe indicates, avoid mixing the potatoes using a food processor or anything electronic, like a blender or mixer, which can make potatoes gummy.