Food Simply Simple

Colcannon Roasted – Colcannon Hash -- the ultimate comfort and value foods

The Irish found ways to make great comfort food for not a lot of money. Potatoes and cabbage are the ultimate winter food, and Colcannon is a great way to use them, produce a great meal, and spend little. However, Colcannon can be an acquired taste. We found that the traditional recipe with mashed potatoes as a base and cabbage added in did not meet our needs. We’re not mashed potato fans. They are nice, but they are not us.

But we have created two routes to Colcannon, and both are yummy and inexpensive.

Colcannon Roasted

Serves 4-8 depending on your appetite

6-8 medium potatoes, Yukon Gold or other, about 3 lbs.

     Cleaned and cut into ¼” slices or into ¾” cubes.

2 large yellow onions

1 small or ½ large green or Savoy cabbage, cored and sliced into ½” slices

Use enough cabbage so that before cooking, there is more cabbage than the volume of potatoes and onions together.

2-6 T. Olive oil, divided

Salt and Pepper, to taste

2 T. balsamic vinegar, optional

1 tsp. dried rosemary, optional

2 oz. grating cheese, grated, optional

Slice the yellow onions into medium rings and put them in a frying or sauté pan with 2 T. olive oil. Salt them lightly. Sauté them on medium until they start to brown, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Continue to sauté the onions as they brown. If you like balsamic vinegar, add the 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the onions after they have begun to brown. Caramelizing the onions can take 15-30 minutes depending on how high the heat is and on how caramelized you like them.

Once the onions are brown enough to be caramelized, put them aside in a re-heatable dish.

Toss the potatoes with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and put them into the sauté pan. Salt the potatoes lightly. Turn the heat to high and watch the potatoes until they sizzle, then turn down the heat to low/medium-low and put the cover on the pan. If you are going to use the rosemary, sprinkle the potatoes with the rosemary before covering them. Let the potatoes pan roast for about 15 minutes, and then check them. As soon as the potatoes are fork-tender, turn off the heat and put them in a container to the side, or on the other side of the re-heatable dish with the onions.

Put the cabbage into the sauté pan, add a couple of tablespoons of water, and put the lid on. Heat the cabbage on medium high, checking to see when the cabbage wilts. Savoy cabbage is particularly elegant and flavorful, and regular green cabbage works great, too.

Once the cabbage has wilted, add 1-2 T. olive oil and sauté the cabbage just until it is soft. Don’t overcook the cabbage because it doesn’t taste very good over-cooked.

Serve the three roasted vegetables next to each other, and offer grated cheese if people would like some. We have also used grated nuts (use a coffee grinder to grind some walnuts and almonds) and sometimes we use toasted bread crumbs.

If there are leftovers, toss them with pasta the next night, adding some pasta water to provide some extra moisture, and serve! A cook once—eat twice option.

Colcannon Hash

This recipe is similar, with easier cooking but not as much of a “clean” division between the three foods.

Serves 4-8 depending on your appetite

6-8 medium potatoes, Yukon Gold or other, about 3 lbs.

Cleaned and cut into ¼” slices or into ¾” cubes.

2 large yellow onions

1 small or ½ large green or Savoy cabbage, cored and sliced into ½” slices

Use enough cabbage so that before cooking, there is more cabbage than the volume of potatoes and onions together.

2-6 T. Olive oil, divided

Salt and Pepper, to taste

2 T. balsamic vinegar, optional

2 oz. grating cheese, grated, optional or toasted bread crumbs, optional

Slice the yellow onions into medium rings and put them in a frying or sauté pan with 2 T. olive oil. Salt them lightly. Sauté them on medium until they start to brown, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Continue to sauté the onions as they brown. If you like balsamic vinegar, add the 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the onions after they have begun to brown. Caramelizing the onions can take 15-30 minutes depending on how high the heat is and on how caramelized you like them.

Once the onions are brown enough to be caramelized, add the potatoes and another 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, stirring to coat the potatoes and mix the potatoes with the onions. Salt lightly. Keep the pan on medium and cover. Check every 10 minutes or so until the potatoes are fork tender.

Add the cabbage, salt lightly, and cover the mixture. Once the cabbage has wilted, continue sautéing the mixture on medium until the cabbage is tender. Serve the hash with some grated cheese or with toasted bread crumbs. You can also use ground nuts, as above.

We found this made two meals, with the second mixed up into pasta. Very substantial, and very easy, and very inexpensive.

LinK