Recipe Thursday - Colcannon

It's only a few days to St. Patrick's day and thus I have selected another potato recipe.   I used this 1998 cookbook, 'The Potato Harvest Cookbook' for my inspiration.  The opening chapters contain a wealth of information about potato varieties and how to grow them and how to select the proper variety for the dish you want to cook.  I learned that a high starch content make for wonderful baked or mashed potatos (Russets) and that low starch content potatoes keep their shape when boiled and are good for salads, stews and au gratin dishes (fingerlings and red-skinned potatoes).

Unfortunately this book is no longer in print, though you might be lucky to find it in a used book store.  I won this book at a raffle at the skating club several years ago, and until this week had never used it.  What a fool I have been.  Since I still had some leeks in the fridge from last weeks soup making adventure, I wanted a recipe that included them.

Colcannon

5 medium potatoes
4 cups packed, rinsed kale, stems removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped leeks
2 large onions
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup warm milk
salt and pepper

Boil or steam the potatoes until completely tender.  Allow the potatoes to cool, then peel them.

While the potatoes are cooking, steam the kale 5 minutes.  Drain, squeeze out the excess water, and chop the kale finely.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  When hot, add the leeeks and saute 5 minutes, or until tender.  Lower the heat, add the kale, and saute 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Peel and cut the onions in half vertically. With the flat side on a chopping block, cut each half vertically into semicircular slices.  In a medium frying pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  When hot, add the onions and cook slowly 15-20 minutes, or until the onions are limp and browned. 

To assemble, mash the potatoes with a potato ricer or masher, adding enough milk to make a creamy yet firm mixture.  Beat in kale and leek mixture, and season with salt and pepper. 

To serve, reheat if necessary. Turn into a heated serving bowl, make a large, shallow depression in the middle, and fill with the onions.  Serves 4-6.

I served this with broiled salmon.  The next day I flaked the left over salmon and mixed it with the colcannon and then heated it in the frying pan with some butter.  Yummy both days.

For more food inspired reading, visit Beth Fish Reads for Weekend Cooking.  Add your link for your recipe or food related review.