Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Colcannon

When we were planning our menu for the week I asked Matt if he wanted something Irish like corn beef since it's St. Patrick's Day. He suggested we try making colcannon instead.
#74 - Colcannon
I had never heard of colcannon but discovered online that it is a traditional Irish dish typically made from potatoes, butter and cabbage. A cheap filling dish. Lots of things can be added to it & some of the more typical are milk, bacon or ham, kale and leeks. We had potatoes, half a cabbage, some kale & bacon on hand so it seemed like a no brainer for us to make this. Matt said he had seen a version on Serious Eats that put a soft egg on top. We thought that would make it more of a meal instead of a side dish so we added that as well.
Colcannon with a Soft Egg
This was surprisingly good. There's no one strong flavor in it but the cabbage is mildly sweet & the bacon adds a little salt. The potato is quite creamy. The egg on top added a nice richness to the dish. I think we would probably make this again but maybe add a little more bacon or perhaps some leftover ham (oh, there's an idea for Easter leftovers).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Colcannon

2 slices good bacon, chopped
2 russet potatoes (about 1 lb), peeled & quartered
1/2 head green cabbage (about 1 lb), cored & thinly sliced
2 green kale leaves, stem removed & thinly sliced
6 T unsalted butter
1/2 c warm milk
salt & pepper
2 poached or soft fried eggs (optional)

Cook the bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel & set aside.

Put the potato in a large pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil. Let boil until tender, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cabbage & kale. Let boil until the cabbage turns a bright green, about a minute. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pot. Reduce heat, cover & let simmer for 2 more minutes. Drain throughly.

Drain the cooked potatoes & return to the warm pot. Add the remaining butter & the warm milk (start with a little less milk & add more as you need it). Mash until smooth. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in the bacon, cabbage & kale. Taste for seasonings again.

Serves as a side dish or top with an egg for a main dish.

2 servings

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© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

11 comments:

RJ Flamingo said...

This is a bit different than my recipe, but sounds really good!

Lisa Paul said...

Sounds a lot like a British recipe called Rumbledethump which features potato, Brussels Sprouts and bacon.

Sook said...

I've never tried anything like this but sounds wonderful!

George Gaston said...

kat & Matt... what a great way to celebrate an Irish tradition by fixing colcannon. Just the name alone says "Happy St. Patrick's Day"!

Brilliant addition with that beautiful over easy egg,too...

Lori said...

Your colcannon looks and sounds better than the other recipes I have seen. I have always wanted to make this. I think your right you need the bacon or ham to give it some flavor. I think because we are so used to flavor meals, like Indian for example, we are a bit spoiled on flavor.

Fresh Local and Best said...

This looks like a very comforting dish. I like the soft egg topping.

grace said...

ah, but what isn't improved with the addition of an over-easy egg on top? lovely, kat!

Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat) said...

that looks good! I've seen some colcannon recipes that look pretty bland and boring. I'd actually like to try this!

Michelle said...

This looks and sound so good! I saw a similar recipe last week and they added green beans too. I think it's one of those recipes that you can add what is available and it's always tasty!

Jessica - The Novice Chef said...

This looks fabulous! I am so glad I discovered your blog!!

Alicia Foodycat said...

This looks really tasty! I am a sucker for oozy eggyolk. Economical too! I always add a grating of nutmeg to mashed potato things, creamy things and cabbagey things, so I think it'd be just the thing in this. And definitely white pepper, not black.

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