Colcannon (from the Irish cal ceann fhionn , or “white-headed cabbage”) is an Irish vegetable dish, made with mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale and traditionally served on St Patrick’s Day or at Halloween. In keeping with tradition, a carefully wrapped gold ring is placed in one of the bowls and the diner who finds it is likely to marry within the coming year.
Do you eat bacon? What a silly question, of course you do. Well how about this for a more sensible question. What do you do with the fat that’s left behind on the roasting tray? I pour it into an earthenware or glass container whilst it’s still in liquid form, but I have to move pretty darn quickly before the team start what we call ‘ratting’ for any yummy bits ‘n pieces left behind or stuck on to the tray. So what I can salvage is put into the fridge and used in a variety of dishes. Sautéed greens comes to mind for a wonderful boost from the salty, bacon flavour, but it is also fabulous in Colcannon.
Oh nom nom, this is so simple, so tasty and comforting, not to mention a perfectly perfect way to sneak some greens into the family. Top!
Colcannon
(serves 4)
Print the recipe here
1.25 kg rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes *
1 cup chicken broth
500g (1 small) savoy cabbage
1 tbsp bacon fat or lard
1/2 cup chopped parsley
salt (I use this one)
Put the rutabaga into a large pan and half cover with filtered water. Bring up to a simmer and cook approximately 20 minutes until tender. Meanwhile cut the cabbage into quarters, remove the central core and shred into 1/4 inch thick slices. Put into a large sauté pan with the chicken broth, cover with a lid and bring up to a simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes until tender. When the rutabaga is cooked, drain it well and put into a food processor fitted with the ’S’ blade attachment. Add the fat and whizz until completely smooth. Drain the cabbage and fold into the mash, along with the parsley. Reserve any cooking liquor for something else or gulp it down. Salt generously to taste.
Served alongside boiled ham or extra thick slices of bacon, this is about as Irish as you’re gonna get!
* GAPS :: Rutabaga is not for the initial stages of this diet and is better introduced slowly.
yum sounds wonderful! So happy to see it doesn’t contain potatoes. Does the bacon fat have a shelf life? It will mold won’t it?
Thanks Apelila. Don’t worry about the fat, it won’t mold, however if you kept it for several months it would eventually go rancid which isn’t good. If you use the fat for cooking, like we do, it won’t even last longer than a day or two 🙂
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe!!! I made this Colcannon for St. Patrick’s Day and it hit the spot! I served as bangers and mash with some sausage I bought from U.S. Wellness online. I was short the measurement for the rutabaga and did half of the rutabaga and half cauliflower. I also omitted the chicken broth and just sauteed the cabbage in some ghee with a little scallions. It made my Irish/English heart very happy! Thank you so much!
I’m so happy you were able to improvise and the recipe hit the spot. Happy belated St Patrick’s Day.