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Try these healthier mashed potatoes

Recipe: Colcannon with a twist -- chard and kale

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED NOV 24, 2019

Colcannon with mixed winter greens can be prepared ahead. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Colcannon is an old Irish side dish: Mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage and onions. It's a favorite for family get-togethers and winter dinners, and can serve as a holiday side dish, too.

The Gaelic name means "white headed cabbage." So taking the cabbage out of colcannon does seem like it can't really be called "colcannon." But for lack of a Gaelic dictionary, this variation is colcannon with a twist.

Before the big cabbage heads are mature, this recipe uses what's in abundance now -- young winter greens. That includes baby chards, kales and, yes, cabbages.

(Stick to the green-hued greens and not red chard or cabbage; the red may bleed into the mashed potatoes. )

Think of this colcannon as healthier mashed potatoes (all those extra antioxidants!) with no gravy necessary.

Another plus: This dish can be made ahead and re-warmed for gatherings.

Colcannon with mixed winter greens
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

5 russet potatoes
Salt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cups mixed winter greens, chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

Wash potatoes, cutting off any sprouted eyes or bruised spots.

In a large pot, place potatoes with enough water to cover. Add salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon). Bring potatoes to boil; cover and reduce heat to medium. Boil potatoes until tender when pierced with a knife and skins start to split.

The greens are cooked with onions first.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large deep pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions; sauté until soft.

Add chopped greens. Stir until greens wilt. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Reduce heat. Cook greens and onions until greens tender and water evaporated from the pan, about 5 minutes. (Check and stir occasionally; the water disappears fast.) Once greens are ready, set aside.

When ready, drain the potatoes and peel. Return potatoes to pot and mash. Add butter and cover. Let the butter melt a little, then mash potatoes some more. Stir in cream. (Add more butter and cream if desired.)

Once mashed potatoes are desired consistency, stir in greens and onions. Serve warm.

Prepare in advance: Combine the mashed potatoes and greens mixture, then transfer into a buttered casserole dish. Refrigerate until ready to warm.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before putting in the oven.

To warm: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place covered baking dish in oven and heat through, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove cover during final 10 minutes.

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RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

recipes gardening Sacramento fall cooking backyard produce produce management holiday food holiday cooking Thanksgiving

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Garden Checklist for week of April 21

This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.

* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.

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