I Swear it Started Off as Colcannon

Shelley challenged me to do something Irish for St. Patrick's Day. So as I was looking for ideas, I happened upon Colcannon -- a mix of mashed potato and either cabbage or kale.  Being a fan of both potato and kale, I thought this would be a great place to start.  To add more green plus make it a bit more interesting, I added broccoli, green pepper, poblano pepper, leeks, and onion.  Usually I eat kale raw in a salad and I am not a big fan of boiled greens, so I shredded it pretty finely.  I'm not sure what to call this -- St. Patrick's Mash perhaps?
(Ross)


St. Patrick's Mash
4 potatoes - cut up in large pieces
2 cups of leeks - sliced
1 green pepper - chopped
1 poblano pepper - chopped (optional)
Several cloves of garlic
2 cups of broccoli
2 cups of kale
2 cups of brussels sprouts - sliced1 onion - cut in half then sliced
1 tsp olive oil
2 ounces of cheddar cheese - grated
2 tbsp of flour
2 tbsp of butter
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

• Rinse and place the potatoes and leeks in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Place over med-high to high heat.
• As the water just starts to boil, add the broccoli and peppers.  If needed, add more water.  There should always be enough to cover the mixture, but not an excessive amount.
• When it comes to a full boil, add the kale and brussels sprouts.
• Boil until the potatoes are soft enough to mash.
• Place a large colander in a large bowl and pour the mixture into the colander.  Return the vegetables to the pot and save the stock.
• Mash the veggies to the consistency desired -- or leave them whole if desired.
• In a frying pan (preferably non-stick), saute the onion in the olive oil until brown.
• Add the onion to the mash along with the sea salt, black pepper, and the shredded cheese.  Stir it into the mixture.
• In the same frying pan, make a roux by melting the butter and adding the flour to it.  Stir constantly to make sure they are well mixed and do not burn.  Keep stirring while it's cooking.  When it starts to turn a darker golden colour, it's time to add the liquid.
• Slowly add some of the stock from the vegetables.  At first, only add a couple of tablespoons of stock at a time and stir the mixture the entire time, making sure everything is well blended.  At first the mixture will actually thicken more, but as more stock is added, it will thin out into a nice sauce.  It should take between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 cups of stock.  Save the remaining stock for future use.
• Serve the sauce over the mash and top with some shredded cheddar and/or parsley.