Irish Colcannon Potatoes

With Amanda Brawley

Potatoes and Cabbage have been sustenance foods in Ireland for ages. This classic Irish dish combines the mashed potatoes and cabbage.

Historically, dishes using cabbage and bacon were common fare in Irish homes as the ingredients were readily available (many families grew their own vegetables and reared their own pigs), nourishing and satisfying. There are many different variations on the theme of bacon and cabbage, but this is one that has become fairly common, especially in the U.S.

Colcannon (Irish: cál ceannann, meaning "white-headed cabbage") is a traditional Irish dish mainly consisting of mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage. An old Irish Halloween tradition was to serve colcannon with prizes of small coins concealed in it, as the Irish and English do with Christmas pudding.

You can serve this old Irish favorite with the Guinness Irish Stew or with any other main course. Mashed potatoes mixed with chopped cabbage, bits of cooked bacon and scallions.Amanda also sells pre-mixed packages of her scones and Irish Soda Breads to allow everyone to experience Ireland firsthand one bite at a time. You can learn more about her food business at www.eringocooking.com.This video was filmed in the Doyon's Kitchen & Appliance Showroom at the Doyon's location in Gloucester, MA. You can obtain more information at their web site; www.doyonsappliance.com

Ingredients

3 pounds potatoes, scrubbed
2 sticks butter
1 1/4 cups hot milk
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head cabbage, cored and finely shredded
1 (1-pound) of bacon cooked
4 scallions, finely chopped
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. 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.
2. Add 1 stick of butter in pieces. Gradually add hot milk, stirring all the time. Season with a few grinds of black pepper.
3. 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.
4. Add cabbage, scallions, and bacon 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.

Recipe courtesy of Amanda Brawley, www.eringocooking.com, 2011.

Amanda grew up on the outskirts of Dublin Ireland in a suburb pretty similar to South Boston. There she started cooking and baking at age thirteen, old enough to be allowed to experiment with the flame and have some responsibility in doing so.
 
As for baking versus cooking, she likes baking and cooking equally depending on the mood. If she wants to be more adventurous and not have to rigidly stick to a recipe, she prefers to cook and while cooking she can be more creative and add her personal touch to the dish. According to Amanda baking is more of a science and you have to stick to a recipe.  However, to her the smells from the oven while baking win over cooking any day.
 
Her Mother and Grandmother did the cooking in the house. It was very seldom you would see a man of the house preparing a meal. Her grandmother would always have her Grand Fathers dinner on the table as he walked through the door after a long day of work. It was, as she says, a key trait to being a good wife to make sure a husbands stomach was never hungry.
 
When she was growing up in Ireland 30 years ago the typical Irish family always cooked at home. Going out to eat was very seldom and a real treat.

One of the foods that is a staple in the Irish diet not eaten here is blood pudding. It is a very popular addition to any Irish breakfast.
 
Guinness stews or lamb stews were made once a week mainly on Saturdays in her home. It was a hearty meal and tasted better days later.

Over the last two years she has established her own baking business “ Erin Go Bread” and operates a wholesale business out of her home in Swampscott Ma. She also does Irish cooking demonstrations and classes for small and large groups. Irish favorites such as Irish soda bread, scones and Guinness stew are just some of the recipes she teaches to keep the spirit and heritage of her past alive. The sessions are designed to let you master those traditional Irish baking recipes and experience a little bit of the blarney firsthand. She also sells pre-mixed packages of her scones and Irish Soda Breads to allow everyone to experience Ireland firsthand one bite at a time. You can learn more about her food business at www.eringocooking.com.
 
Amanda is adamant about making her Irish Brown Bread with the authentic whole-wheat flour. If you want to try the real thing, the name of the website for Odlums extra course whole grain flour is www.foodireland.com.