my colcannon recipe

This is one of my favorite late fall dishes to make. Warming, hearty, and DELICIOUS.

8-10 white potatoes
1 head cabbage
1 large leek
1 stick butter (1 cup)
1 pint cream or half and half
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Peel and chop potatoes, chop cabbage. Put in a large pot, add a couple of inches of water, and steam/boil the veggies. (For this amount of produce, usually takes 20-30 minutes for everything to be soft and good.) Leave on burner on high heat.

Meanwhile, pour cream into a small pot, and add butter. Turn heat on LOW to melt the butter. You must be very careful to never let the milk reach a boil. Slice the stem of the leek into small rounds while waiting for the butter to melt. Once butter is melted, add leek to the mixture, and as much salt and pepper as you want. Keep this mixture at a low simmer--again, never boil--until leeks are very soft and have lost their shape.

By the time the leeks have cooked, the cabbage and potatoes should be ready, as well. Drain the extra water from the pot, return pot to burner on low heat, and pour the cream mixture over it. Mash as you would potatoes. Taste, add more salt or pepper as needed, then let cook for another 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Also, taste occasionally. Suddenly, the mix will go from tasting like sort of bland potatoes, to a leeky, peppery delight.

Makes great leftovers, the taste gets better with each day it sits. A side of sausages (I usually use Lil Smokies) makes a wonderful dinner on a cold, rainy night.