A Greener Irish Colcannon

BY CATHY KATIN-GRAZZINI Every culture has its comfort food, and colcannon is Ireland’s ~ a marriage of potatoes with kale or cabbage and, traditionally, lots of butter. Simple, warming, hearty, this plantbased reinterpretation loses the butter, milk and cream and builds layers of flavor not with fat but with aromatic onion, leek, garlic, scallions, and chives. The aroma and taste are heavenly, and you have a soothing dish that not only doesn’t clog your arteries but is rich-tasting, creamy and anti-inflammatory. Skip the eggs, boiled ham and Irish bacon that traditionally shares colcannon’s table. Serve it instead with an array of blanched or dry sautéed seasonal veggies and “yum!”

Photo by Giordano Katin-Grazzini

Prep time 30 minutes Cooking time 30 minutes Serves 3-5

INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds floury potatoes (5 medium). Scrubbed, whole and unpeeled • 1½ pounds kale, lacinato kale, cabbage of other hardy greens, cut chiffonade (in thin ribbons) • 1 large onion, diced • Dry vermouth or no-sodium veggie broth to deglaze pot • 1 leek, well cleaned, diced • 1 head garlic, dry roasted, peeled, mashed • 1 bunch scallion anor chives, sliced • 1 cup unflavored, unsweetened almond or other plant-based milk • Several big grinds of black pepper • Salt, if using, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. To dry roast garlic head, remove papery outer leaves. Bake in 375°F/190°C oven for 30 minutes. Cool. Peel. Mash to a pulp with a fork. Set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add greens and cook until tender but intact. Transfer to a colander using a large slotted spoon or tongs. Set aside. Return pot to a boil and add potatoes. When it returns to a boil, lower to simmer and cook until tender but intact. Drain. Peel while hot, mash immediately. Set aside. Drain pot and dry.

3. Heat pot for 3 minutes over medium-low flame. Add onions and leeks, stirring frequently. Cook slowly until onions sweat their liquid and soften. When they begin to darken the pan and adhere, deglaze pot with a few tablespoons of liquid. The onion and leeks should be very soft. Lower heat and add cooked greens, stirring, then smashed garlic, mixing well. Stir in potatoes and mix thoroughly, distributing the garlic and aromatics evenly in the potatoes and greens.

4. Add the plant milk, stirring and cook for another minute or two for flavors to blend. The colcannon should not be dry or soupy but creamy with the vegetables melting into the potatoes. Mix in scallion and/or chives and cook for another 2 minutes or until soft. Season to taste. Serve hot on warmed plates and enjoy!