colcannon soup for St. Patrick's

And what would be under the lid of my lovely new birthday pot from my daughter? Mmmmm, something smells good!

Like many Americans, I can count many relatives on both sides of the family who were Irish ( Leary, Sullivan, Hughes (originally Welsh, but ended up in Ireland), O'Hanlon, among others) so of course I celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I often make colcannon, which is a cabbage and potato mash, but it's best hot and fresh, oozing with butter. I wanted something I could reheat, so I decided on a colcannon soup today: warm homemade chicken stock, leeks and baby potatoes, sweet green cabbage, and fresh dill and parsley.-, and of course, sweet unsalted butter, and a little olive oil. It was so good for lunch, I'll heat it up again for dinner, wishing I had photographs of all those ancestors I only know on the genealogy chart.

Makes about 4 servings:

1 cup sliced leek whites

1 T. olive oil

1 T. unsalted butter

4 cups chicken stock

about 9 small potatoes, sliced into thirds

1/2 t. thyme

2 cups sliced/shredded sweet green cabbage

kosher salt and fresh pepper

1/4 cup medium chopped Italian parsley

1/4 cup medium minced fresh dill

1 cup medium cream

more butter to your taste(optional)

Saute the leek whites in the oil and butter for 15 minutes, then add the stock, potatoes, thyme, and cabbage and simmer until the potatoes are tender - about 20 minutes.

Toss in the cream, dill, and parsley, and remove from heat and cover. Stir, then let the colcannon soup steep for another 15 minutes, covered.

Taste the soup ( it will need salt), and adjust seasonings as you wish. Too late, I thought a little bacon or sausage might be nice in this, so let me know if you add some.

May the hill rise to greet you, friends, and enjoy your St. Patrick's Day!

What I'm watching:

In America

What I'm reading:

Proust was a Neuroscientist

smashed potatoes with fresh dill and curry Flor de Sal

With St. Patrick's Day the day after tomorrow, how could I not blog about my fondness for potatoes ? Baked, boiled, smashed, sauteed, pureed, chipped and sometimes added to a fry up, potatoes are my one carb weakness that assures I will not ever be able to stay on the South Beach diet. At least I've discovered those small bags of baby potatoes, which helps with the portion control. But any day, I'd choose potatoes over pasta or rice. And my favorite herb with potatoes is always fresh dill. I make French Potato salad with dill, Corn Chowder with dill, and my latest, One Pot Chicken with tiny potato balls carved out of big white potatoes with a melon baller. They're extremely cute.

Smashed potatoes have been out and about on blogs and in magazines lately, so I finally decided to make them. I made them plain, with just dill and salt and pepper, with browned butter and with olive oil, sprinkled with dill just before serving - then my favorite, which was with both browned butter and olive oil. Just to make sure I wouldn't starve, I also boiled up some wee potatoes, rolled them in olive oil, and sprinkled those with fresh dill, too. My blessed daughter had just surprised me with a lovely bag of food goodies for my birthday, including curry Flor de Sal, so I tried that as well. Is it any surprise I loved them all?

To make any of these dishes, you start with about a pound (half a 2 lb bag) of tiny potatoes. Sometimes they're labeled "creamers". I picked up some baby Idaho potatoes for these recipes, all about the size of Bantam eggs.

Smashed Potatoes for two:

1 pound baby potatoes

1 T. fresh dill, snipped

kosher salt and/or Flor de Sal

fresh pepper

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

or

1 T. butter

or both the butter AND the olive oil.

Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil.

At a slow boil, cook potatoes for 20 minutes, or until tender, then drain.

Using the same hot saucepan, melt the butter and oil together, set aside.

Using the bottom of a glass, gently press down on each potato until it is slightly

flattened.

Using a spatula, place potatoes on a toaster oven pan, then spoon a little of the olive oil and butter on each smashed potato.

Cook at 400F for 20 minutes, remove, sprinkle with salt , pepper, and dill and serve while still hot.

~

For the Flor de Sal smashed potatoes:

Smash potatoes, drizzle with olive oil/butter, then sprinkle about 1'4 t. Flor de Sal on each little potato. Bake as above, at 400F for 20 minutes, then remove and serve. I skipped the dill on these.

~

For the plain baby potatoes:

Boil as above, drain, and melt the olive oil and butter in the still warm saucepan you used for the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the oil and butter, and roll them around until coated well. Turn the heat up a little and do a quick saute, then scoop onto plates and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the freshly snipped dill. Serve instantly.

Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day breakfast: pratie oaten

For much of my early life, I was not aware of the strands of Irish in our family. English and Welsh, yes, but very little mention of Irish. That all changed when my father began exploring our genealogy; suddenly we heard of O'Hanlon, Hughes, Fitzgerald, Leary, Butler, Merwin, and Sullivan in our family tree. And I discovered traditional Irish music in the car one day, listening to the radio. The pounding of the bodhran drum, the whistles and fiddles, the rising up in joy, and the depth of the sorrow. I was so overcome, I had to pull off the highway. I guess that Irish gene was announcing itself.

So to celebrate all things Irish, I made a traditional potato dish called Pratie Oaten, from a small book I found called From Celtic Hearths . It's really more like a hash brown with mashed potatoes and oats - I divided the soft dough and added some chopped scallions and bacon crumbles for a little interest. You fry them up in a skillet with bacon fat ( or oil) and serve with a smile and a twinkle in your eye.

To make:

3 large potatoes, scrubbed

1 cup rolled oats ( not the instant one)

1 stick melted, unsalted butter

salt to taste

chopped scallions (optional)

crumbled bacon (optional)

a few tablespoons bacon fat, oil, or butter.

Boil the potatoes in their skins until done - about 25 minutes.

Drain and mash, or whip in mixer bowl.

Add the melted butter, salt, and oats to the potatoes and mix to make a soft dough. If adding the scallions and bacon, mix them in now.

Sprinkle a little flour on the board and gently roll or pat the dough to a thickness of 1/2". Cut out rounds with a glass or cookie cutter.

Heat oil, bacon fat, or butter in a skillet and fry until golden brown.

Enjoy!