Colcannon is traditionally made from mashed potatoes and kale (or cabbage), with scallions, butter, salt and pepper added. It can contain other ingredients such as milk, cream, leeks, onions and chives. It is often eaten with boiled ham or Irish bacon. At one time it was a cheap, year-round staple food, though nowadays it is usually eaten in autumn/winter, when kale comes into season.
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.
Welsh cawl cennin, despite the somewhat similar sound of the expression, is etymologically unrelated to colcannon, meaning "leek soup", literally "broth (of) leeks."
Colcannon Recipe
Ingredients
* 4 russet potatoes (2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into large chunks
* Salt
* 5-6 Tbsp unsalted butter (with more butter for serving)
* 3 lightly packed cups of chopped kale, cabbage, chard, or other leafy green
* 3 green onions (including the green onion greens), minced (about 1/2 cup)
* 1 cup milk or cream
1 Put the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water by at least an inch. Add 2 tablespoons of salt, and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender (15 to 20 minutes). Drain in a colander.
2 Return the pot to the stove and set over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pot and once it's hot, add the greens. Cook the greens for 3-4 minutes, or until they are wilted and have given off some of their water. Add the green onions and cook 1 minute more.
3 Pour in the milk or cream, mix well, and add the potatoes. Reduce the heat to medium. Use a fork or potato masher and mash the potatoes, mixing them up with the greens. Add salt to taste and serve hot, with a knob of butter in the center.
Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish.
Irish Stew
Irish stew (Irish: stobhach / stobhach Gaelach) is a traditional stew made from lamb, or mutton, (mutton is used as it comes from less tender sheep over a year old and is fattier and has a stronger flavour) as well as potatoes, carrots, onions, and parsley.
Ingredients:
* 2-1/2 to 3 pounds lamb chops (gigot or rack chops) not less than 1 inch thick
* 8 medium or 12 baby carrots
* 8 medium or 12 baby onions
* 8 to 12 potatoes, or more if you like
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pints (3-3/4 cups) stock (lamb stock if possible) or water
* 1 sprig of thyme
* 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon roux, optional - see recipe
* Garnish:
* 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley
* 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon freshly chopped chives
* .
* Roux:
* 4 ounces (1 stick) butter
* 4 ounces (1 cup) flour
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Cut the lamb chops in half and trim off some of the excess fat. Set aside. Render down the fat on a gentle heat in a heavy pan (discard the rendered down pieces).
Peel the onions and scrape or thinly peel the carrots (if they are young you could leave some of the green stalk on the onion and carrot). Cut the carrots into large chunks, or if they are small leave them whole. If the onions are large, cut them into quarters through the root, if they are small they are best left whole.
Toss the meat in the hot fat on the pan until it is slightly brown. Transfer the meat into a casserole, then quickly toss the onions and carrots in the fat. Build the meat, carrots and onions up in layers in the casserole, carefully season each layer with freshly ground pepper and salt. De-glaze the pan with lamb stock and pour into the casserole. Peel the potatoes and lay them on top of the casserole, so they will steam while the stew cooks. Season the potatoes. Add a sprig of thyme, bring to the boil on top of the stove, cover with a butter wrapper or paper lid and the lid of the saucepan. Transfer to a moderate oven or allow to simmer on top of the stove until the stew is cooked, 1 to 1-1/2 hours approx, depending on whether the Irish stew is being made with lamb or hogget.
When the stew is cooked, pour off the cooking liquid, de-grease and reheat in another saucepan. Slightly thicken by whisking in a little roux if you like. Check seasoning, then add chopped parsley and chives. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Bring the stew back up to boiling point and serve from the pot or in a large pottery dish.
To make the roux, melt the butter and cook the flour in it for 2 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Use as required. Roux can be stored in a cool place and used as required or it can be made up on the spot if preferred. It will keep at least a fortnight in a refrigerator.
Yield: 8 servings
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