Brussels Sprout Colcannon

We had so many brussels sprouts in our garden this year! Beginner’s luck I imagine, since we had not grown them before. I think brussels sprouts are a vegetable that taste best when you don’t mess with them too much. They have so much flavor on their own, that they don’t need a whole more added on. Colcannon is typically made with cabbage and is mostly just a blending together of mashed potatoes and the cabbage, but I thought this combo might work out nicely too. I was SO right – these flavors go together very well, and not only that, but this is really easy to throw together.

Begin by preparing about 2 lbs of potatoes for boiling. I like Yukon golds for this, or a smallish red potato, but any kind will work. If the skins are nice, just scrub the potatoes and leave the skins on, or peel the potatoes if you prefer. Cut into 1 inch cubes, and place in a 2 or 3 quart saucepan. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. You can also peel and smash a garlic clove or two and throw them in,if that is a flavor you will enjoy. Bring potatoes to a boil, and simmer until nicely soft. Probably around 20 minutes depending on the potatoes you use.

While the potatoes are simmering, saute about 1/2 pound fresh, sliced brussels sprouts in a couple tablespoons of butter. Make sure to remove any tough outer leaves first, and wash and dry them completely. You are just going to saute them maybe 5 minutes or so -until they are getting a little sweet, but are still a nice bright green. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and keep hot.Mash the potaotes with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of low fat butter milk, plus more salt and pepper to taste. When the potatoes are mashed, lightly mix in about 3/4 of the brussels sprouts, and put this mixture in your serving dish. Add an additional tablespoon of butter to the remaining brussels sprouts and arrange this mixture over the top of the potatoes -I made a band down the middle, but you can just kind of scatter it over the whole top if you like. These would be great with corned beef, ham or alongside a beef roast.There you go – easy and so very good!

You might also like Brussels Sprouts with Peppered Bacon