Colcannon

By CarolM-2

Ingredients

• 1 lb (1.3 kg) 'old' potatoes, such as Golden Wonders or Kerr’s Pink
• 1 lb Savoy, spring cabbage, or kale
• 1/2 stick (50 g / 2 oz) salted Irish butter
• Generous 1 cup (250 ml / 9fl oz) whole milk
• 25 (1 oz) spring onion or scallions, finely sliced (optional)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from parade.condenast.com

Preparation

Step 1

Scrub the potatoes but leave them whole. Put them in a saucepan of cold water, add a generous teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Parboil for approximately 15 minutes, and then strain off two-thirds of the water. Replace the lid and ‘steam’ over a gentle heat until fully cooked.

Meanwhile, remove the dark outer leaves from the cabbage. Wash the rest and cut into quarters, remove the core and cut finely across the grain. If using kale, remove the central rib. Cook the kale or cabbage in a little boiling salted water until tender. Drain, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and beat in a small knob of the butter.

Once the potatoes are just cooked, tip them into a colander and set aside until they are cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, put the milk and spring onions into a clean saucepan and bring to the boil. Pull the skins off the potatoes and discard. Mash the flesh quickly while it is still warm and beat in enough boiling milk to make a fluffy purée.

Finally stir in the cooked cabbage or kale and taste for seasoning. For perfection, serve immediately in a hot dish with a lump of butter melting in the centre.