Today kind of sucks. It’s grey outside and I feel sluggish. Spending the rest of the day under a heavy wool blanket pulled over my head is pretty tempting right now. Instead, I’ll write about this dish I made a couple of weeks ago. Just looking at it is almost enough to pull me out of the doldrums….almost.
Colcannon also known as bubble n’ squeak is pure comfort food…potatoes and cabbage and a nice amount of butter to make the lumps go down easy. I decided to play with the good ol’ Irish standby of Colcannon and its close relative Champ (which is potatoes mixed with chives or green onions) which have the onion-y bite that I love. For the onion-y bits, I used leeks instead seeing that it’s a good, solid winter vegetable and can be found cheap and plentiful this time of year in local markets. I also never peel potatoes because I love that extra texture (and nutrients!) from the skin. Plus, since I used red potatoes, the jackets make the dish extra pretty.
Now, this should be a side dish served alongside of some sausages or roast chicken. But not for me. I like a mound of this served in a bowl, no other supplements needed. Like I said before, this is comfort food and for me, eating this along while watching some trashy television (like ANTM, for instance) is like being huddled under a giant woolen blanket. It’s good company for the blahs.
colcannon with leeks
4 red skinned potatoes, cut into quarters
1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced
1 leek, (white and pale green parts only), cut into slices
1 c whole milk
4 T butter
salt & pepperIn a medium pot, boil up the potatoes. Meanwhile, combine milk, cabbage, leeks, half the butter, salt and pepper into a large pot and bring to a simmer. Cook until the cabbage is soft, about 15 minutes. When the potatoes are fork tender, drain well and add to the cabbage mixture. Mash with a potato masher, adding in remaining butter and more salt & pepper if necessary. Dim the lights, turn on the television and hunker down with a ol’ big bowl full.
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oh, this looks great! it is definitely comfort food!
too funny ~ I posted about bubble and squeak this morning 😀
Your colcannon looks delicious…. and very saint paddys day appropriate!
That looks so comforting and yummy.
Although I seldom buy potatoes or cook with potatoes (hubbie’s diabetic), I do love eating them. I find mashed potatoes (and fried)to be my favourite! I’m also a fan of leeks, so this dish is perfect for me to indulge in a (long overdue) potato dish 🙂
i LOVE colcannon. and it is that irish time of year after all…
That does look awesome. Thanks for the post. I think I’m going to make some this weekend.
Yummy!
A quick goof to point out though – it oughtta be “its” not “it’s” in the following sentence:
it’s close relative Champ
it’s = it is
its = possessive form of “it”
Your colcannon looks lovely, but I think you are mistaken to call it “also known as” Bubble and Squeak. Bubble and Squeak is actually fried – although the main constituents are largely the same – potato and cabbage with onion and leek – it is usually made from the leftovers of a Sunday night dinner. A good Bubble and Squeak will have a nice golden crust from being fried in butter, and has an almost roesti-like appearance.
You could certainly make a wicked one out of your leftovers, though…
I made this dish last night and it was fantastic! There are plenty of leftovers for today too 🙂
bellcurves, it definitely is 🙂
i saw your post linda, looked great!
thanks sylvie, it was!
bijoux, glad you made and loved these and so happy you took the potato plunge 😉
sun rae, it’s definitely the perfect time of year for this dish.
ah scarlett, you caught my flub. thanks.
i had no idea, dawna. now, i wish i had leftovers!
I am with you, this needs nothing alongside it, just plenty of black pepper on top!
This does look like some lovely comfort food. Today (sunday) kind of sucks too.
I’ve always wanted to see what bubble n’ squeak looked like, and your recipe looks lovely! My husband loves leeks, so this would be a good one to try.
Belle
I just love potatoes and leeks, that would certainly be the best comfort food for me! Looks totally delicious!
somehow, i just learned about colcannon this year. i don’t know why i haven’t made it yet, but i know i will soon.
That’s bubble and squeak? I’d somehow always pictured a hamster pie or something. That looks like a very comforting dish and especially good with the leeks.
This looks great! I have some leeks & potatoes leftover from the St. Paddy’s day cooking projects & will have to give this a try.
I was just thinking to myself “what am I going to eat?” then I randomly came across your blog. I will bookmark you.
Oh god, that looks gooooood. It’s only appropriate that, living in Ireland, I should whip up a dish of this scrumptious stuff immediately 🙂
hi there, long time reader first time commenter
🙂
i just wanted to give you some mad props and let you know that i started a new blog called http://barredowl.wordpress.com
where i will be posting about food and birds and restaurants and other fun stuff!
peace,
owl
cakespy, this is true comfort food…perfect for any crappy sunday (or anyday!)
muse, try it out, i’m sure you’ll love it!
indeed it is, lyb!
michelle, i’ve seen a lot of it around lately too. but it is the season for it!
haha, lynn! hilarious.
veg*, this would be great with any leftover st patrick’s day projects. actually, i love that you have food related st. paddy’s day projects! awesome.
thanks rawbean, glad i could help!
jen, you must!!
barred owl, thanks for the mad props indeed and congrats on the new blog!
bubble and squeak and antm i cant think of any better!!
looks fantastically delicious. i heart leeks so much….
Mmm… I know what I am going to do with my leftover potatos!
Happiness in a bowl. Potatoes, leeks, and butter… who could ask for more?
Yum that does look like quite awesome comfort food.
Thanks for this recipe–I made it tonight for dinner and it was so delicious! We had it with chicken sausages and March Madness basketball on the tv.
Good Job! 🙂
Yum yum YUM! My flatmate and I made this for a potluck luncheon last weekend and it was absolutely delicious. The leftovers made excellent company for a late-night study session, too.
Thanks so much for posting! ^^