Friday, December 29, 2017

Colcannon

This is a very strange dish to me, but definitely comfort food. Fat, starch and bacon, with some cabbage to say there's a healthy veg in there, lovely on a cold, rainy night.

2 healthy portions or 4 smaller portions

1 lb potato, peeled and diced (about 4 potatoes)
½ cup (4oz/114gr) + 2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) +2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter
up to ½ cup milk
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
⅛ tsp mace
6 oz bacon, roughly chopped
1 lb cabbage, cut into ½" strips
1 leek chopped
Fresh parsley (optional)
  1. Steam the potatoes in their skins for 30 minutes, allow to cool and then peel them before mashing them thoroughly to remove all the lumps. Add a ½ cup of the butter; mash a bit more, then slowly stream in the hot milk until the desired consistency is achieved, stirring all the time. Season with a few grinds of black pepper and add the salt and mace.
  2. Meanwhile, set some water to boil and add the bacon. Simmer for 20 minutes, then add the cabbage and steam in the bacon pot until it's thoroughly cooked, another 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander.
  3. Cut up the bacon into pieces and roughly chop the cabbage.
  4. Poach the leeks in 2 Tbsps of butter over low heat until well done.
  5. Add the potato and the bacon/cabbage mix to the poached leek and mix everything together thoroughly.
  6. Dole out onto individual soup plates. Make an indentation on the top and plop in about 1 tablespoon of butter into each indentation. Sprinkle with parsley.
NOTE: if you have any leftovers, make easy potato patties. Just beat an egg (no matter how much is left over), thoroughly mix until uniform, then add flour at a rate of 1 part flour to 2 parts colcannon. Fry in about 1/4 cup oil (or oil and butter mix) until nicely browned on both sides.