Colcannon

It’s cliché: Irish food in March. But if there’s any month to eat Irish food, March is it. The skies often are gray, it’s cool and blustery – in other words, it’s Irish outside – and most of us still crave the comfort foods of winter.

One of my favorite Irish dishes is called Colcannon. In its purest form, Colcannon is simply potatoes and cabbage, but you can make it far more elaborate by adding bacon, leeks, roasted garlic, and whatever else interests you.

Colcannon was traditionally served on Halloween, a saints day where no meat was to be consumed, and the dish has inspired many different traditions. It’s often served with little treats inside wrapped in tinfoil, such as a ring or a coin. Or, if it’s All Saints Day (the day after Halloween), some families leave it out on the table with a big piece of butter to feed the fairies and ghosts.

One of the reasons I love Colcannon is because its comfort food at it’s best. And if you don’t go overboard on the butter (adding an entire head of roasted garlic boosts the flavor of this dish without adding saturated fat) you will also come away with a dish that is very healthy. Among other things, it’s full of vitamin C.

Cabbage is a member of the Cruciferare family. Other members include kale, broccoli, collards and brussel sprouts. Recent studies have found that if you don’t overcook these vegetables, their cancer-fighting properties remain quite high. In fact, a recent study indicated that women who regularly consumed vegetables from the Cruciferare family were shown to have a much lower risk of breast cancer. The key is in the cooking – overcook them, and the health benefits melt away. For cabbage the rule of thumb is no more than 5 minutes of direct heat before the health benefits fade.

Potatoes are a much-maligned vegetable in this country, and yet for hundreds of years they helped sustain many populations around the world. They contain so much vitamin C, and their shelf-life is so long, that they were brought on long ocean voyages to prevent scurvy. And interestingly, the scientific name for the potato is Solanum tuberosum, and solanum is derived from a Latin word meaning “soothing”.
I like to serve this heavy side dish with a light protein such as a piece of poached or broiled salmon. Not only is this an easy choice, but it is certainly one that would be served on Irish tables today with Colcannon.

And, if you are serving this to children, why not turn back to the tradition of hiding little coins or rings in the dish? It just might lead to a child actually try it?!

Recipe
1 ½ pounds (about 2 large) russet (baking) potatoes
3 cups thinly sliced cabbage or kale
½ cup milk, scalded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits and softened
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch pieces. In a saucepan cover the potatoes with salted water and simmer them, covered, for 15 minutes, or until they are tender. While the potatoes are simmering, in a steamer set over boiling water steam the cabbage or kale for 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander, force them through a ricer or the medium disk of a food mill into a bowl, and stir in the milk, the butter, the cabbage/kale, and salt and pepper to taste.
Alternative additions:
Add two leeks that have been sauteed in a little olive oil
Crumble bacon on top
Add an entire head of roasted garlic (peeled and coarsely chopped)
If using kale, try steaming and then pureeing it in a food processor before adding to the potatoes – it will give it an overall green-flecked look that’s quite appealing.