agoodwinsmith | April's Colcannon.

Okay. I made it the traditional way last week, and today I made it my way.

Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage, green, non-frilly
6 green spring onions
1 kilogram bag of frozen brussels sprouts
8 medium sized russet potatoes
some grated nutmeg
some butter
some heavy cream

Method:
(1) Open the bag of brussel sprouts flat, and lay them in a single layer. Leave to thaw.
(2) Chop the cabbage into tiny pieces, discarding the core. Slice the green onions into little rounds, both white & green parts. Place cabbage in the big steamer with the onions layered in the middle. Steam. Occassionally stir with a noodle lifter, bringing the done stuff up and sending undone stuff down towards the steam.
(3) Once the brussel sprouts are warm enough to handle, cut off the tough ends, and slice in half. Place in second steamer. Sprinkle brussel sprouts with grated nutmeg as you fill the steamer. Place a little grated nutmeg in the steaming water. Steam just long enough to get warm (see steam coming through the pile at the top), then turn burner off and leave lid on to retain the heat. Leave.
(4) Scrub the potatoes thoroughly. You are leaving the skin on, so scrub them well. Cut into small dice so that the skin pieces will be small. Boil potatoes until tender. Drain, reserving water for another use. Return potatoes to the hot pot, and drive off more moisture, being careful not to scorch them. Mash with excessive quantities of butter and heavy cream.
(5) When the cabbage is done to your liking, remove from steamer and stir thoroughly to mix the green onion throughout. Add half of the whole mess to the potatoes.
(6) Add half of the brussels sprouts to the potatoes.
(7) Mix the green things into the white stuff, thoroughly, without tenderness.
(8) Serve with big blobs of butter and salt & pepper.

(9) Put the remainder in the fridge for a week's worth of suppers for two.
(10) Freeze the remaining cabbage and brussel sprouts for a future colcannon.

We both liked the potato peels in the mix. Tasty, more fiber, more nutrients. I was worried about the state of the brussel sprouts, since I like them fresh and just cooked to brilliant green. These, once thawed, were squashy and well on their way to yellow, so that's why I sprinkled them with nutmeg. This was actually brilliant. The texture was okay in the mashed potatoes, and the flavour did not have the nasty overcooked flavour I was dreading, but the nutmeg was not everywhere in the mix, so that is was more suggested than stated, except that every now and then you would get a single piece of brussel sprout with the nutmeg sprinkle still on it, and that was a pleasant boost of yummy nutmeggy taste. I tend not to cook with salt and pepper, since so many people have opinions about each of them, and simply serve the dish with salt and pepper available. I know from last week that this nukes just fine.

Butter, without a doubt, is absolutely necessary. If you are afraid of butter, go back to your sugar-laden fat-free whatever.