Colcannon

Sorry I haven't posted in a week, Halloween was my 2nd wedding anniversary!

Colcannon is one of my absolute favorites, and it's become a staple in our house.  You can easily adapt it to fit vegetarian needs, as we did when friends came to visit from up North (and now I hear that it's a staple in their house as well!).  

This is a traditional Irish dish that I first had on St. Pat's Day a few years ago when my roommate (and friend) Esme decided to make it.  I could not believe how flavorful and ridiculously good the potatoes were, and the mustard pork that went with the potatoes were just as delicious.  I was surprised to find out that colcannon is traditionally a fall dish associated with Halloween, and would have a ring hidden in it predicting a marriage in the coming year for the person who found it.  I've always felt that hiding small things in my food that could cause choking was a bad idea, but who am I to argue with tradition?  

At it's core, colcannon is basically mashed potatoes with additional items mixed in.  Some recipes add bacon, others Canadian bacon.  Sometimes it's green cabbage, some times it's curly kale.  Chives, green onions, or yellow onion.  Really, choose what you like and run with it.  I did!

"Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?

With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.

Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake

Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?"

Colcannon

Ingredients:

3 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

Salt and pepper

2 Tbs. butter

1/4 cup milk

Dollop of sour cream

4 strips of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

Half of a small red onion, sliced

3 leaves of curly kale, chopped

Hand-full of parsley (flat or curly, whatever you prefer)

1. Place potatoes in cool, salted water over medium-high heat and boil until soft, about 15-20 minutes
2. Drain the cooked potatoes and place back into the pot
3. Add the butter, milk, and sour cream, and mash the potatoes
4. Meanwhile, place a skillet over medium-high heat and add the bacon; cook until crispy and then remove and drain on a paper towel
5. Add the onion to the skillet with the bacon grease and cook until soft
6. Add the kale to the skillet and cook until wilted
7. Add the bacon, onion, and kale to the mashed potatoes and mix until well combined
8. Top with the parsley and serve

Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and silver skin

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp. dark mustard seeds

3 Tbs. brown mustard

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. Place the tenderloin on a baking sheet and drizzle it with the olive oil; rub the olive oil to coat the meat
3. Rub the tenderloin with the salt and pepper, garlic, mustard seeds, and brown mustard, making sure to keep it an even coat
4. Transfer the pork to the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the tenderloin reaches 145°F
5. Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing