Summary

Recipe Story

Now that St. Patrick's Day is upon us, tis time to get he menu planned, and a perfect side dish is Colcannon. Colcannon is a wonderful combination of cabbage and potatoes. It can contain other ingredients such as milk, cream, leeks, onions, chives, garlic, boiled ham or Irish bacon. There are many similiar dishes in various countries. There is an English dish called Bubble and Squeak. Rumbledethumps is a similiar dish from the Scottish Borders. The main ingredients are potato, cabbage and onion. Similar to Irish Colcannon, and English Bubble and Squeak Champ is another Irish dish, made by combining mashed potatoes and chopped scallions (spring onions) with butter and milk, and optionally, salt and pepper. In Atlantic Canada , a local version of the dish is popular among those raised in rural communities and brought to the provinces by Irish and Scottish settlers, the recipe consists of potatoes, milk, butter, diced carrots and turnip mashed together. This gives it a distinct orange and white colour (as opposed to the green of the Irish version). Some also add onions, garlic and even chopped up bacon. The Dutch also have a dish that is similar called stamppot boerenkool, made from potatoes and kale mashed together with milk, butter, salt, and pepper, and often served or cooked with a large sausage. A condiment of pickled pearl onions is common. The Welsh "cawl cenhinen" pronounced colcannon means "leek soup". In German they make a dish called "snouze" that is cabbage and potatoes usually with ham or speck. Pyttipanna - literally a hotchpotch of food in a pan - is a Swedish food similar and traditionally consisting of potatoes, onions, and sausage or ham, diced and then pan fried. In India there is a spicey cabbage and potato dish that is very popular as well. So you see many such combinataions.

Ingredients

How to make Colcannon - St Patrick's Day

Steam the potatoes in their skins for 30 minutes. Peel them using a knife and fork. Chop with a knife before mashing. Mash thoroughly to remove all the lumps. Add 1 stick of butter in pieces. Gradually add hot milk, stirring all the time. Season with a few grinds of black pepper.

Boil the cabbage in unsalted water until it turns a darker color. Add 2 tablespoons butter to tenderize it. Cover with lid for 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly before returning it to the pan. Chop into small pieces.

Put the ham in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes until tender. Drain. Remove any fat and chop into small pieces.

Add cabbage, scallions, and ham to mashed potatoes, stirring them in gently.
Serve in individual soup plates. Make an indentation on the top by swirling a wooden spoon. Put 1 tablespoon of butter into each indentation. Sprinkle with parsley.