Food for St Patrick's Day

When I was a child in Ireland we traditionally had colcannon and boiled bacon on 17 March, St Patrick's Day.  Both could be eaten throughout the year but they were our special St Patrick's Day treat.

Colcannon is a dish made from potatoes and kale or cabbage, plus a few other ingredients.  For St Patrick's Day my grandmother would hide a thimble, or more usually for us, a threepenny piece (a thruppenny bit) inside, bringing luck, pots of gold and anything else you could think of to the finder. Strangely there were always two threepenny pieces and even more strangely, each grandchild would find one.

I decided to make myself some colcannon.  Simplicity itself:

4-6 large potatoes
250 g or 8oz chopped and cooked kale (or cabbage/greens)
6-8 spring onions, scallions or chives, chopped
milk (or cream)
butter
salt and pepper

Soften scallions in some butter.  Boil the potatoes and mash with milk or cream until fairly smooth.  Add spring onions, kale, salt and pepper and mix.  Put into an oven proof bowl, make a well in the top of the colcannon and put as much butter as you can into the well.  Place in the oven until everything is piping hot.  I like mine to brown slightly on top.

Served with a slice of boiled bacon, or ham, or fried if you must.  Delicious and it takes me back all those years and all those miles.



Lyrics [and translation]:


Well did you ever make colcannon,
Made with lovely pickled cream [buttermilk]
With the greens & scallions mingled
Like a picture in a dream
Did you ever make the hole on top
To hold the meltin' flake
Of the creamy flavoured butter
That our mothers used to make

Oh you did, so you did
So did he and so did I
And the more I think about it
Sure the nearer I'm to cry
Oh weren't them the happy days
When troubles we knew not
And our mothers made colcannon
In the little skillet pot.

Well, did you ever take potato cake [flat bread made from potato and flour]
And boxty to the school [fried mashed and grated potato]
Tucked underneath your oxter with [armpit]
Your books, your slate and rule
And when teacher wasn't looking'
sure a great big bite you'd take
Of the creamy flavoured soft and meltin'
sweet potato cake
.
.
.
Well did you ever go a courtin' boys
When the evenin' sun went down
And the moon began a peepin'
From behind the Hill O' Down
And you wandered down the boreen [rural lane]
Where the clúrachán was seen [leprechaun]
And you whispered love and praises to
Your own dear sweet cáilín [young girl(colleen)]

Oh you did, so you did
So did he and so did I
And the more I think about it
Sure the nearer I'm to cry
Oh weren't them the happy days
When troubles we knew not
And our mothers made colcannon
In the little skillet pot.