When fall weather begins, so does the comfort food. Colcannon makes it to the top of the list of these foods because it is easy to make and requires only two main ingredients, potatoes and cabbage, both of which are fresh and readily available in the fall. Colcannon is a traditional Irish potato dish that is commonly served around Halloween, and can be made with cabbage, Brussels sprouts or kale. To this you add butter, salt and pepper, but I also like to add bacon to the dish, because... well, everything just tastes better with bacon. Make this dish your own by experimenting with toppings. Add green onions or sautéed leeks or fresh snipped herbs, such as thyme or parsley.
2½poundspotatoesscrubbed and skin on, quartered (I like to use a mix of red skinned potatoes and Yukon golds.)
1½poundscabbageabout a half of a small cabbage (You can substitute shredded Brussels sprouts or kale for the cabbage.)
2tablespoonsbutter
½tspsalt
½tsppepper
Optional ingredients:
6slicesbaconfried crisp and crumbled
¼cupwhite wineadded to the fried cabbage to deglaze the frying pan
1cupgreen onionschopped
1tablespoonfresh herbs such as thyme or parsleychopped fine
kosher saltfor boiling the potatoes
additional butter
milk
Instructions
To the 8-litre pot, add the quartered potatoes and then fill with cold water. Add a tablespoon of kosher salt or a teaspoon of table salt. Bring to a boil and then boil until the potatoes are cooked, about 8 minutes.
In the meantime, if using, fry the bacon. Remove the cooked bacon and drain the bacon grease. Add about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease back to the pan. If you are not using bacon, then melt a tablespoon of butter in the fry pan.
Add the chopped cabbage and sauté until cooked. Season with salt and pepper. If using, once the cabbage is cooked, add in a ¼ cup of wine and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Mash the cooked potatoes and add in 1-2 tablespoons of butter, if using you can add some milk. Season with salt and pepper.
If using, crumble the bacon and add it to the mashed potatoes.