Colcannon Potatoes

Halloween fell on Tuesday this year and I had the bowl of candy by the door as always, though the trick-or-treating crowd up here on the hill is thin — maybe a dozen children over the course of the evening, mostly from the two families at the base of the road and a few from the center of town who come up in cars with their parents. I give out full-size bars because I only buy for the actual number I expect, and the children always look slightly stunned by this, which I enjoy. The tradition started because Helen believed childhood Halloween should be genuinely exciting and I have continued it in her memory.

The hard cider from the October pressing was ready to taste this week — not fully finished, still active and a little sweet, but drinkable. Ted came over Saturday afternoon and we sat on the porch in our coats with mugs of it and talked about the winter ahead. David is planning to thin the woodlot behind the farm properly this winter, which will open up the south light and improve the pasture edge. Ted was explaining the reasoning and I could see how much it pleased him to have someone on the property who thinks about the land the way he does. Patricia married someone her father would like, which is not always the case.

I made a proper boeuf bourguignon this week, the first braise of the season, the kind of low-and-slow dish that makes no sense in summer but that the first cold snap demands. I used the short ribs I had frozen from the summer rather than the traditional chuck — the fat distribution is different and the result is richer, arguably too rich, though I have never found a person in Vermont in late October who objected to something too rich. I pulled it after three hours, let it cool overnight, and reheated it for dinner Friday, which is always better. The fat firms on the surface overnight and you can skim it cleanly and the flavors knit in a way they cannot when you eat it the same day.

November is around the corner and I am thinking about Thanksgiving already. Sarah called Wednesday and the family is coming — all four of them — and Teddy has requested, formally, to cook the turkey this year. I told Sarah I thought that was an excellent idea and she said Jim had the same reaction. The question is whether we supervise or step back. I think we step back.

The boeuf bourguignon needed something alongside it — something sturdy enough to hold up to three hours of braised short rib without disappearing beneath it — and I kept coming back to colcannon, which is as Irish as Halloween itself and no less traditional for it. There is something satisfying about a dish that has been on tables in October for centuries for perfectly good reasons: the cabbage is at its best, the potatoes are freshly out of the ground, and the butter seems more defensible when the porch thermometer reads thirty-eight degrees. I have made this version many times and it has never once disappointed anyone sitting at this table in late October.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
3 cups green cabbage, finely shredded
4 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
3/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream, warmed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the potato water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg

Instructions

Boil the potatoes. Place the potato chunks in a large pot and cover with cold, well-salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook until completely tender and a knife passes through without resistance, about 18–22 minutes. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot over low heat for 1–2 minutes to steam off excess moisture.
Cook the cabbage and scallions. While the potatoes cook, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shredded cabbage and the white parts of the scallions. Season lightly with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and just beginning to color at the edges, about 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Mash the potatoes. Rice or mash the drained potatoes in the pot until smooth. Add the warmed milk or cream and the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, mashing and stirring to combine. The texture should be creamy but substantial — not loose.
Combine. Fold the cooked cabbage and scallion mixture into the mashed potatoes. Stir in the green scallion tops. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl. Make a well in the center and add a generous knob of butter, letting it melt into the colcannon at the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Colcannon Potatoes — The Dish That Earns Its Place at a Cold-Weather Table