Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Labbits Like: Colcannon


St. Patrick's Day is in one more day, but the labbits couldn't wait to whip up this simple tasty  dish.  Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish made with potatoes and kale (or cabbage). The best part is the dollop of butter dropped into a little well carved out of the kale laced mashed potatoes. Many variations on this dish exist, including: cabbage instead of kale; garlic; mixing in cooked Irish ham or bacon; adding nutmeg and browning under broiler for 5 minutes; using onion instead of leeks; using heavy cream or whole milk instead of almond milk, etc. The labbits kept it pretty simple, opting to keep the potato skins because they provide fiber, potassium, vitamin C, copper, magnesium and a bunch of phytonutrients - all good for a healthy diet. The labbits encourage you to buy organically grown potatoes, especially if you use the skins. You wouldn't want to be eating a bunch of pesticides, would you? Print the recipe here.



Colcannon

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled (optional - labbits love potato skin) and cut into 1.5" pieces
1 lb kale, tough stalks removed, roughly chopped
1 leek, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
1 cup milk
3 - 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
S+P to taste

Preparation:
Place potatoes in a pot of water with enough lightly salted water to cover them. Boil until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and return to pot. Mash with a potato masher, then cover pot with a lid to keep potatoes warm.

On medium heat, cook leeks with milk and 2 tbsp of the butter in a covered saucepan until leeks are are soft but not browned, about 12-15 minutes. Add to potatoes and mash with a potato masher.

Meanwhile, place chopped kale in a pot of lightly salted boiling water. Cover and cook until kale is tender but retains its bright green color, about 3-5 minutes. Drain well and use the back of a large spoon to press excess water from the greens.

Add kale to potatoes and leeks and mix well with a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving bowl. Create a small well in the center of the potatoes and drop in 1 - 2 Tbsp of butter. Serve immediately, spooning melted butter over servings.

Serves: 4 -6 labbits

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