Photo courtesy of Nava Atlas
The classic Irish recipe by Hudson Valley cookbook author Nava Atlas crisps potatoes, cabbage, and kale all in one skillet.
In the traditional recipe for colcannon, butter and milk are used, which are replaced here with olive oil and plant-based milk for a dairy-free version. It’s a simple yet tasty dish that features a lot of green!
Since there aren’t many customary Irish vegetable dishes to serve for St. Patrick’s Day, this would be the one to choose! If you’re interested in some background, here’s a thorough history of colcannon.
Ingredients:
4 large russet potatoes or 6 medium red-skinned or golden potatoes (about 3 pounds)
¾ cup plain unsweetened plant-based milk, or as needed
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
1 bunch kale (regular or lacinato; about 8 ounces), stems removed, thinly sliced
6 or 7 scallions, white and green parts
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Method:
Cook, bake, or microwave the potatoes in their skins until easily pierced. When cool enough to handle, peel, cut into large chunks and place in a bowl. Mash coarsely and stir in the plant-based milk.
Heat half of the oil in a large skillet or stir-fry pan. Add the cabbage, kale, and white parts of the scallions. Sauté, stirring often, until the cabbage and kale soften up a bit. The kale should remain bright green. Add small amounts of water to keep the bottom of the skillet moist if need be.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and stir in the potatoes and green parts of the scallions. Cook without stirring until the bottom of the mixture gets nicely browned. Stir and allow more of the mixture to brown.
Stir in the parsley, Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.
Variation: Leeks can be used in place of scallion, though they involve a bit more prep. Chop the white and palest green parts of 2 medium leeks; make sure to rinse them thoroughly to remove grit. Start cooking them at the same time as cabbage and kale in step 2 of the recipe.
Recipe courtesy of Nava Atlas.