One of my favorite things about getting a farm share box is the puzzle that you get to put together after it arrives. The late winter box I received gave me a lot of a a few items, mostly carrots, potatoes, and turnips. While we eat a lot of roasted root vegetables in my house, I needed to make a change.
I was down to my last few potatoes and last two turnips. The grocery store had some awesome looking savoy cabbage and I had some bacon in my freezer. A healthy scoop of sour cream later, this colcannon recipe came together.
If you prefer to make a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and use a few glugs of olive oil instead. A pinch of smoked paprika might be welcome, but isn’t totally necessary.
This is also one of those recipes that reheats really well, so if you are only cooking for a few people, make the whole batch and enjoy the leftovers the next day.
Ingredients
- 3 large Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and large diced (about 1.5 lbs)
- 2 large turnips peeled and large diced (about 1 lb)
- 1 small head Savoy cabbage cored and cut into 1” thick ribbons
- ½ yellow onion thinly sliced
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon chopped finely (about ¼ lb)
- ½ cup sour cream
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the potatoes and turnips to a large pot, cover completely with water (add a few big pinches of salt), then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook the vegetables until they are easily pierced with a fork, about 25-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add a small drizzle of olive oil to a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove the crisped bacon from the pot, reserving the rendered fat.
- Add the sliced onion to the rendered bacon fat and saute for 3-4 minutes, until the onion softens slightly. Add the cabbage to the pot and saute for 12-15 minutes, until the cabbage is very tender. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once the potatoes and turnips are cooked, drain well, then return them to the pot. Add the sour cream and a pinch of salt and pepper. Using a potato masher, coarsely mash them, then add to the pot with the cabbage and onion. Stir in the crisped bacon (reserve some for garnish) and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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