Colcannon - mashed potatoes with kale & onions

Here is wonderful Irish dish, a soul food really.

You will need the following:

• 1 large bunch of fresh kale or cabbage
• 1 small bag of yellow baby potatoes or your favorite variety
• 1 bunch of salad onions or 2-3 leeks - your preference
• 1 cup of cream or whole milk
  
• olive oil
• 1/2 cup of melted butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Generally I don't peel the potatoes before cooking them, but if the potatoes are older, and of a larger variety - I will. Red potatoes are waxy and white ones are drier. Russet are the best for baking, but will work for this dish. For this creation, I used a yellow fleshed, maybe a Yukon Gold baby potato variety.

Cook the potatoes until you can easily pierce the potato with a fork. Takes about 20 minutes in a covered pot on medium high heat. Allow the steam to escape so it won't boil over. I drizzled a bit of olive oil in the pot - also helps eliminate boil over.

Wash the kale or cabbage and place the leaves in a pot with 2-3 inches of water in it. Bring to a boil and steam cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Kale and cabbage take a while to cook but they are an excellent choice for health. They get top billing for antioxidant properties. Don't let the pot boil dry. Chop the kale or cabbage coursely, and set aside.

Mash the potatoes, add melted butter and cream. Stir in the kale or cabbage. Chop the onions and stir into the potatoes. (If using leeks, be careful to wash them well. They tend to have plenty of fine dirt between the layers. Once cleaned and trimmed, slice the white part thinly and add to your dish.)

Season with salt and pepper.















This side dish is traditionally served with corned beef, but if you like mashed potatoes try it with your next roast dinner - be it chicken or beef. It is rich and filling, and made with real unsalted butter and whole cream. The veggies in the dish make it tasty and healthy. It looks good too!

Serve with fresh made Irish soda bread and enjoy!

For dessert, try a scone with raspberry or strawberry jam and clotted cream (like whipped cream - which could be substituted)