Irish Colcannon, Two Ways

With this recipe, I put a bit of a twist on the traditional Irish colcannon (typically made with mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale) by using sweet potatoes alongside regular potatoes and cooking the cabbage with beer. Creamy mashed potatoes, smoky bacon bits, and malty beer meld together into a very rich and filling dish. I found this made a great meal on a cold night although for those of you looking to be less decadent, it would also work very well as a side dish.

Irish Colcannon, Two Ways
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb potatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes*
• 1/2 lb sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes*
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 4 slices bacon
• 1/2 head cabbage, sliced**
• 1/2 cup dark beer***
• brown sugar, if needed
• salt and pepper, to taste

*Feel free to use all potatoes or all sweet potatoes – if using all sweet potatoes, you may want to roast them instead of boiling them. I like to use potatoes with a high starch content to get a smoother mashed potato texture (potatoes with a low starch content will give you mashed potatoes with lumps – so use those if that’s what you prefer).
**You can substitute a pound or so of kale.
***I used a homebrewed stout here, but any brown ale, porter, or stout should work – the most important thing is to use a beer where you’re more than willing to drink the rest! The sweetness of the beer you use will determine how much, if any, brown sugar you will need to add.

Method:

1. In a large pot, combine 1/2 lb potatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes and 1/2 lb sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes with 4 cups water and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Bring to a boil, and cook until the potatoes and sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Drain, then separate the potatoes and sweet potatoes if desired, and mash with 1/2 cup milk, 2 Tbsp sour cream, and 2 Tbsp butter, adding more of these ingredients if needed.
2. Meanwhile, in a large sautee pan, cook 4 slices bacon until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add 1/2 head cabbage, sliced to the pan with the bacon fat, and cook over medium high heat until starting to soften.
4. Add 1/2 cup beer to the pan, then cover and let cook for 5 – 10 more minutes or until the cabbage is at the desired consistency.
5. Crumble the bacon into the pan with the cabbage, then taste, and add brown sugar, if needed (this will depend on how sweet your beer was). Add salt and pepper, to taste to both the cabbage and the mashed potatoes.
6. Serve either by mixing the cabbage into the mashed potatoes or topping the mashed potatoes with the cabbage.