Oishii: Colcannon

Mr. Q's great grandparents came to Boston from Ireland and he is proud of his Irish roots. We love celebrating St. Patrick's Day in our house. Leprechauns, shamrocks, parades, folklore, and antics are all a part of our celebration. Oh, and food! A few years ago we discovered a wonderful dish that has become part of our traditional meal on St. Patty's: colcannon. Here is our version, adapted from The Country Cooking of Ireland by Coleman Andrews.

Colcannon at the Q's
Ingredients
5 or 6 good size russet potatoes
6 Tablespoons of butter
3 cups of spinach leaves
1 1/3 cup buttermilk or whole milk
4 scallions, minced
salt and pepper

Directions
Put the potatoes in a pot and add water to come halfway up the potatoes. Cover and boil over high heat. When the water begins to boil, carefully drain half the water and return pot to heat, cover again, and reduce heat to low to steam the potatoes for about 40 minutes. Remover from heat. Add milk and spinach and gently mash the potatoes, leaving large chunks. Gently stir in butter and scallion and add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer potatoes to serving dish and cretate a well in the center. Place a large pat of butter in the crater and serve.

our little leprechaun gnomes made from a pattern from Wee Folk Art a year or two ago

Beware of Leprechauns who may make an appearance and try to swipe your colcannon. It's that good.