Colcannon: Thanks a bunch, potato famine!

When the Irish potato famine hit in the mid-nineteenth century, the US got a sudden influx of rowdy, red-haired, easily provoked, genius storytellers who made everyone in New York suddenly start talking like Jimmy Cagney.

March 5, 2010; 6:00 AM • by Brandon Fox

(First published on March 9, 2009)

They also brought their love of potatoes with them and a dish called colcannon. Colcannon is traditionally served at Halloween, but because of its chopped scallions and cabbage, it’s so distinctively Irish (to me), I like to fix it on St. Patrick’s Day when most Americans have Ireland on the brain. I like to serve it alongside just about anything that goes well with mashed potatoes, like steak or pork chops, or my particular favorite, roasted chicken.

Colcannon

3 lbs. of potatoes (I like a mix of russets and yellow Finns)
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup hot whole milk
½ head of cabbage, thinly sliced (remember to remove the core)
6 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
Salt to taste and lots of pepper

Now, to begin with, you need to get a large pot of well-salted water boiling. After that, you have two choices.

The longer, but preferred method is to boil your potatoes whole and unpeeled for about 25 to 30 minutes (test periodically by inserting a sharp knife into one of the potatoes to see if it’s tender). You then peel the potatoes when they’re cool enough to prevent screaming and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

The OTHER method, and frankly, the way I frequently end up doing it because dinner is inevitably always running late, is to peel and then quarter the potatoes and drop them in the boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain. The first method is preferred because it makes demonstrably fluffier mashed potatoes. The second is fallen back upon because it’s faster.

Meanwhile, place the cabbage in another pot, barely, barely covering it with water and add a tablespoon or two of the butter and a sprinkle of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until soft. Drain.

Put the milk and scallions in a pan and slowly heat to a simmer. Remove after a minute or two when the scallions have softened a bit.

Slice remaining butter into chunks. Add potatoes back to pot and sprinkle generously with salt. Throw in a chunk or two of the butter and mash lightly. Add about half the milk, the cabbage, and then mash along with the rest of the butter. Switch to a wooden spoon and add the rest of the milk by dribs and drabs, stirring gently. Taste, adjust salt, and stir in lots of black pepper.

Serves six to eight as a side. If you have children, remember that no one is forcing you to mention the cabbage.