Halloween

Colcannon for Samhain

Colcannon seems to be a traditional Irish recipe for all seasons. I’ve hear it used for Halloween, for St. Patrick’s Day, even for Christmas time. It seems that it just all depends on what you want it’s purpose to be!

However, consistently, Colcannon seems to be a dish that is used to change or improve your fortune, which falls yet again into play with getting those fortunes read or changed during this time when the veil between the dead and the living is thinner. It was not uncommon for people to slip charms into the Colcannon as well, but I think we had enough fun with the barmbrack cake’s charms that I did not include them here as well.

Colcannon

Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 3-4 large russet potatoes peeled, cubed, and boiled
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp milk OR half-n-half
  • 5 strips bacon crisped & crumbled (optional)
  • 1/2 smal head of cabbage cored & thinly sliced
  • 1/2 onion thinly sliced
  • 3-4 cloves garlic finely diced
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley rough chopped
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Peel, cube, and cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until fork tender.
  • Crisp bacon in a large skillet. When cooked remove and place on a paper towel. Crumble bacon when cool enough to handle.
  • Add cabbage and onion to the skillet with remaining bacon fat and sauté over medium heat until onions become translucent.
  • Add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
  • Drain potatoes and mash them in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and milk.
  • Whip potatoes until smooth (add milk only as needed for consistency). Fold in cabbage and onion mixture, two-thirds of the bacon, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Transfer Colcannon into a serving dish and top with some butter, and the remaining bacon.
  • Garnish with some fresh ground black pepper, and parsley.

Notes

Original Recipe: James and Everett

My colcannon was so successful that other than the one instagram story photo I took while cooking, I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the completed dish! It got completely devoured! @__@


Do you have a Halloween food superstition?

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