For St. Patrick’s Day few dishes are more traditional than Colcannon, a mix of potatoes and either cabbage or kale.  For this version I went with cabbage as I found out in research that Colcannon comes from the old Gaelic word “cal ceannann” meaning white-headed cabbage.  Kale is used almost equally as cabbage is in current preparations and kale is probably the sexier of the options, but I wanted this recipe to be as traditional as possible.

A few liberties were taken with the preparation and ideas behind this recipe, mostly dealing with green onions.  Most recipes call for leeks to be used as the flavoring agent, but since leeks were already on the menu in another guise I went with green onions.  The second reason for using the green onions is another traditional Irish dish called “champ” which is basically mashed potatoes with green onions (no cabbage) that is very similar to colcannon.  I actually like the flavor of champ better than colcannon, but since colcannon is a bit more recognized I went with colcannon with a definite nod to champ in adding much more green onion than would be traditionally used in colcannon alone.  The third reason for the green onions is that it reminded me of a soup of a sort that I had at a bar when I was in college.  Near St. Patrick’s day one of the bartenders would also make up some traditional Irish fare to give out to regulars.  On the unofficial bar menu along with other fare was colcannon and champ.  The first time I had ever tried either.  He also made a soup like side dish that he called “green tea” which was basically lots of green onions steeped a long time in milk and cream then served in small demitasse cups.  It was pretty magical stuff and so in tribute to him I added a bit of a variation on his green tea to the colcannon.

Depending on how many recipes you look at and how far back you go you’ll find that bacon is not used in the oldest recipes for colcannon.  In about half of the recipes I looked at it was an ingredient or a topping.  The reason for this is that colcannon was generally a poor farmers recipe and bacon wouldn’t be available to poorer families or would be used sparingly.  I didn’t intend to use bacon as I’m the lone vegetarian in this mad band, however, bacon was crisped up and made available for those who wanted it.

The great thing about colcannon is its simplicity and there are quite a few variations you can play with.  If you want it softer and more luxurious version you could pulse the sauteed cabbage in a food processor and whip with the potatoes.  The spicing is definitely variable.  Mace is the traditional spice but it would be interesting with smoked or sweet paprika, nutmeg or possibly cinnamon.  Kale would generally lend a greener flavour and a heartier texture and if you wanted to really go heavier you could use collard or mustard greens.  The onions used are variable as well.  The bulbous spring onions would be excellent if not quite as readily available.  Red onions cooked with the cabbage would add an interesting colour pop.  The only things that aren’t really optional are the potatoes and the butter.  Colcannon is very much a vehicle for melted butter.

Leftovers reheat easily and can also be used for a killer potato, cabbage and cream soup. Topping options are endless as well – anything you enjoy on a baked or mashed potato is going to work on Colcannon brilliantly. Got a favorite variation? Let me know in the comments. 

-Jason

It’s a big gamble to take on an entire run of bacon, which is where this little experiment comes in. Thursday evening I thawed some un-smoked bacon I had on hand, laid out six strips and rubbed Penzey’s sweet curry on both sides, pressed them flat in to sheets of cling wrap and set them in the fridge.

Sunday afternoon I pulled the bacon from the chill and cool smoked three strips with pecan and three with hickory, then fried each of the test subjects up and placed them on paper towels as usual to drip and cool.

The results: In both the Pecan and the Hickory smoked samples, the flavors of the curry were completely lost. This is probably due to the permeable fat which was holding the most curry flavor melting off in the fry pan.

The experiment is not without merit, however, as the pecan smoked bacon was absolutely incredible. I had never used Pecan wood before this, so it was new territory for me. The soft pecan flavoring on the bacon had an almost buttery, sweet quality and it really compliments the pork well.

in the pan

Back to the drawing board with the curry end of things, but I’m excited to charge ahead with a big batch of pecan smoked bacon to share in the near future.

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