Colcannon

For the past few weeks we have been harvesting green cabbage and red cabbage and our curious cone shaped cabbage that many people have been asking about (in case you too are wondering, it's an early season variety that has relatively sweet, tender leaves). This week we began harvesting our green savoy cabbage. So what to do with the summer bounty of cabbage? For lunch today on the farm, we made colcannon which is an Irish casserole made of mashed potatoes, cabbage, and onion. The milk and cheese in this recipe below from Jane Brody’s Good Food Book make this version quite non-traditional. But it does become a hearty main course and for the hardworking farm employees this is a valid exchange. Enjoy!

1 pound potatoes (I used a combination of russet and Yukon gold)

1 pound green cabbage, shredded (4 cups)

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

¼ cup milk

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

3 ounces sharp cheddar (or other hard cheese), coarsely grated, divided

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until they are very tender but not mushy. Drain them, reserving the cooking liquid, and set them aside to cool somewhat.Using the potato water (you may have to add more water), boil the cabbage and onion for about 5 minutes. Drain the vegetables and set them aside.When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin, place the potatoes in a bowl, add the milk and the butter or margarine, and mash them until they are smooth. Add the reserved boil cabbage and onion to the potato mixture. Mix two-thirds of the cheese with the potato mixture. Season the colcannon with pepper and salt, if desired, and transfer to a greased casserole or shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Before serving the colcannon, heat it through in a moderately hot oven (the temperature is not critical—it can be between 350 degrees and 425 degrees, depending on what else you are using the oven for). Let the cheese on top brown slightly.