Inspired by the Irish: Colcannon with a Twist
Saint Patty's Day is this Sunday!! This day holds a special day in my heart since it is the day Adam proposed. I can't believe it was just one year ago that he asked me to marry him and now we are married and buying our first home! What an amazing year it has been! I love him more than I ever thought I could one year ago. (Awwww... so cheesy. But true.)
So to celebrate this special day and our one year anniversary of being engaged that Adam refuses to recognize (he believes we should only have one anniversary, our wedding anniversary, how boring), I've created a kinda Irish recipe for you! Why kinda? Well, think of it as a recipe that represents the 1/4 Irish that Adam didn't know he was until I had a conversation with his grandma. Plus, I really just wanted to make mashed potatoes with spinach in it, which reminds me of this Irish dish called colcannon. Colcannon is mashed potatoes with lots of butter and mixed with cabbage or kale. I realize that my version isn't exactly what you would call traditional and that might defeat the whole purpose of posting something Irish for Saint Patrick's Day, but at the very least it's a dish with green in it! So you can't blog pinch me!
I love to use gold Yukon potatoes instead of russets and I'm not a fan of using a blender to mash my mashed potatoes, a simple wooden spoon works fine for me. Someday, someone (ahem, Adam - stocking stuffer idea!) will buy me a real potato masher, then I may or may not use it. You see, I have very specific thoughts on mashed potatoes - if you are interested in hearing them (I mean, why wouldn't you be?) check out my recipe for Roasted Garlic Creamy Mashed Potatoes.
These Irish-ish mashed potatoes meet all my requirements for delicious and flavorful mashed potatoes. Plus, they are great to get some green into your child, or in my case, husband's, diet. Honestly who could turn down mashed potatoes loaded with butter, even if it's studded with healthy spinach?
Come on, you know you want to get your kinda Irish on.
Mashed Potatoes with Spinach
Makes 6-8 side servings
2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, peeled
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 cup milk (I used whole, but you can use whatever you like)
6 tablespoons butter (I use Irish Kerrygold butter, it's seriously the most flavorful butter and it's from grass-fed cows! Healthier diet for them means better butter for you.)
fresh ground pepper to taste
2 cups baby spinach, measured then chopped
Ok, so there are two ways you could do the cooking / peeling of the potatoes, it just depends on where you want to spend your time.
1. You could peel them and cut them into quarters then place in a pot with water and 1 teaspoon salt and bring them to a boil and boil until fork tender.
OR
2. You could wash them and place them whole in a pot with water and 1 teaspoon salt and bring them to a boil until fork tender. It will take them longer to boil, but once they are cooked and cooled enough to handle you can simply peel the skins off using your hands or a small paring knife.
Using desired method boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain water from the pot and place peeled potatoes back in the pot and over medium-low heat on the stove.
Add 5 tablespoons butter, milk, 3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on your tastes), and ground pepper to the pot. Mash potatoes using a wooden spoon or potato masher.
Add chopped spinach and stir to incorporate it into the mashed potatoes. Constantly stir while continuing to cook over medium-low heat until spinach has wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve potatoes with a large pat of butter on top!
Love, Luck, and Happiness!