Colcannon

With the wholesale adoption of Halloween by America we sometimes forget that it originated in Ireland and was brought to the US by Irish immigrants.

Pumpkins are much easier to carve than turnips so it is not all bad. Bobbing for apples is a tradition worth keeping and don’t forget to hang the apple from the door frame (or a doughnut) and don’t forget to add some money to the apple tart and colcannon.

Colcannon is one tradition that has not been commercialised, probably because it has far too much butter and full fat cream and milk to be of interest to America.

Feel free to adjust this recipe to your liking. If you prefer cabbage feel free to use it instead of kale. Do use full fat milk but feel free to omit the cream and reduce the butter. Some cooks (e.g. Theodora Fitzgibbon) suggest using equal weight of Kale to Potato, but I feel a proportion somewhere between a third and a half works best.

Don’t forget to include at least one coin.

Colcannon
700-800g Potatoes, 250g Curly Kale (or Cabbage), 1 Leek, 200ml Whole Milk or Cream (100ml of each), 100g butter, Salt and pepper. Coins well wrapped in grease proof paper.

Peel the potatoes and steam them until tender. Use a floury variety such as Kerr’s Pinks if you can, but Roosters will suffice.

Strip the leaves of the kale from their stalks, chop finely, and wash in lots of cold water. Place the still dripping leaves in a saucepan with a knob of butter and cook on medium heat in a closed pan for approx. 7 minutes. .

Simmer the cleaned and finely sliced leek in the milk or cream until tender.

Once the potatoes are cooked, mash them thoroughly or push through a potato ricer, add half the butter and beat with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth consistency.

Add the leek and hot milk/cream to the mash, mix in the kale, and beat well with a wooden spoon to spread the leek and kale through the potatoes.

Scrape into a large bowl or plate and push in the coins wrapped in paper. You can cover the dish at this point and heat it up later in the oven or microwave. Just before you bring it to the table make a well in the centre and add the remaining butter.