Colcannon

With Brussels Sprouts

Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. I enjoy corned beef and cabbage but seldom cook it any other time of year. Corned beef is great with all the associated sides; my favorites are the vegetables cooked in the beef broth and with a thick slab of well buttered soda bread. The potatoes need not be boiled with the corned beef. There are wonderful potato preparations such as colcannon, champ and boxty. Colcannon is a dish of boiled potatoes, cabbage and onion mashed with milk and butter. Champ is similar with no cabbage, an abundance of green onions or scallions. Boxty is a potato pancake made with freshly grated potato and mashed potato. These are likely to make a regular appearance on your dinner menu at home once you get used to preparing them.

I present my recipe for colcannon. There are many ways to prepare it. The most common is boiled mashed potatoes with cabbage and onion. Some recipes call for adding bacon or ham. Other recipes request leeks or green onion in place of the onion; traditionally colcannon was made with available greens. Kale is most common after cabbage but one can use foraged watercress and nettle or garden greens like chard. Potatoes and cabbage were considered foods of the common folk in the 17th and 18th centuries. The name colcannon comes from a Gaelic term meaning “white head cabbage.” Historically colcannon is associated with the celebration of Halloween when charms would be mixed in the potatoes. Whatever charm(s) found on your plate predicted your future, from poverty or prosperity, good or bad health.

My recipe for colcannon is traditional however I substituted Brussels sprouts for the cabbage. Some recipes call for an equal amount of greens to potatoes and others call for a higher ratio. Good butter is a featured ingredient with respect to Saint Brigid the patron saint of dairy. It is often presented as a well of melted butter in the center of the mound.

COLCANNON with BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds potatoes (I prefer Yukon Gold)

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts trimmed

• -1 medium onion, chopped

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 stick butter

• ½ cup milk or half & half, warmed

• 1 small bunch of scallions, cleaned and chopped

Method:

• Wash, peel and quarter the potatoes

• Put the potatoes in a sauce pan and cover with cold water and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook until you can pierce with a fork. Drain the potatoes well and return to the pan

• Meanwhile, slice the Brussels sprouts thinly with a knife, a mandolin or slicing blade on a food processor

• Melt half of the butter in a sauté pan and cook the onions and Brussels sprouts until tender

• Then add the onion and Brussels sprouts to the potatoes and mash well

• Mix in the warmed milk and season to taste with salt and pepper

• Melt the remaining butter and then scoop the colcannon into your serving dish, make a well in the center and fill it with the melted butter

• Scatter the scallions over the top

• Serve alongside your corned beef or whatever else

Colcannon is a terrific alternative to potatoes. You can add cooked bacon or ham. Left over colcannon can be mixed with leftover corned beef and heated in a casserole

Anyway you make colcannon, or whatever you serve it with, it’s an easy dish to prepare and versatile in the making and in the serving. Enjoy!