Halloween is a time where a lot of Irish families enjoy Colcannon for dinner. This traditional Irish dish is enjoyed all year round and can be served with any meat of your choice.
Boiled ham is a popular accompaniment but it’s equally delicious on its own. If you’ve never heard of Colcannon, then you are in for a real treat.
In theory, it sounds a little bit like mashed potato with vegetables going through it but trust me this dinner packs a real punch in the taste department. It is one of the tastiest and most comforting dishes of the year.
Halloween tends to be an occasion that goes hand in hand with Baltic weather. Do you ever recall a Halloween where you went trick or treating and didn’t feel absolutely freezing?
Children’s Halloween costumes generally don’t have warmth in mind when they are being designed too. This is where Colcannon comes in. Before the excitement of trick or treating kicks in, fill your tummies with this delicious Halloween themed dinner. It’s the perfect way to kick off the celebrations.
You’ll find that every family approaches Colcannon in their own way. For example, in our house, we always refer to it as “Curly Kale”. Some houses omit onion and others wouldn’t have it without onion. Some houses, like ours, will even plant pieces of money throughout the dinner.
That was always my favourite part. We’d eat our dinner, pile up the little collection of tinfoil wrapped coins and see who got the most money at the end of it all. In our house, a fried egg was also absolutely essential.
I hereby give you our family’s version of Colcannon, but you can tweak it to your own tastes. We love this Halloween tradition and I hope my kids grow up to enjoy it too.
Here’s the thing – there really is no elaborate recipe because this dish is so easy to prepare.
How to make the perfect Colcannon
-
Prepare the potatoes.
Simply peel and wash your potatoes and boil them in some salted water until they are cooked through.
-
Cook the kale.
At the same time cook some Kale in a large saucepan of boiling water or in a steamer.
-
Mash the potatoes.
Mash the cooked potatoes and add a little salt and pepper, a glug of milk and a generous dollop of butter.
-
Now you are ready to add the Kale.
Combine the kale with the creamy mash potato and add in some onion (we like soft fried onion; others prefer raw diced onion and spring onion is also a popular choice).
-
Serve with butter and a fried egg.
Serve with a little bit of butter and the mandatory (in our house anyway) dippy fried egg on top.
Now you’re ready to dig in (and count up your fortune. The kids will love this part, go on!)
