Colcannon cakes are a great way of using up leftover potatoes. We sometimes forget how good our potatoes are in Ireland and it has been tough for farmers trying to get them out of the fields with all of the rain we’ve had. I cannot imagine serving a meal in MacNean without some potatoes.
Get some Quality-Assured eggs and poach in a white wine vinegar with salt in the water because the eggs firm up and it toughens the skin. These cakes could be a brunch or starter and you can make them ahead and freeze them if you like.
The egg and cauliflower curry served with rice makes a delicious lunch. I know some people cannot eat eggs and this recipe works without them. I love cauliflower. It is so versatile. You could add in sweet potato, butternut squash and any veg you like to bulk this up.
There are chillis in this recipe and believe it or not these are now being grown in Ireland. The Taylors are a family company based outside Lusk and they have diversified to become one of the few commercial growers of chillis in Ireland. I went to visit them last year and I was overwhelmed. They also grow wet garlic and they dry it out to the garlic we all know and use. They produce the best garlic and chilli that I have ever tasted. I am using their products in the restaurant since the beginning of the year.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Colcannon cakes with poached eggs. \ Photography: Philip Doyle. Food styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith
Colcannon cakes with poached eggs
Serves four
450g (1lb) potatoes
15g (½oz) butter
3 scallions, finely chopped
50g (2oz) Savoy cabbage, shredded
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 large eggs
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
watercress salad, to serve
1 Cook the potatoes in a covered pan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender. 2 Meanwhile, heat a knob of the butter and 1 tbsp of water in a heavy-based pan with a lid over a high heat. When the butter has melted and formed an emulsion, add the scallions and cabbage with a pinch of salt. Cover, shake vigorously and cook over a high heat for 1 minute. Shake the pan again and cook for another minute, then season with pepper.3 Drain the potatoes and mash until smooth. Fold in the cabbage mixture. Shape the mixture into four balls, dust lightly with flour and press into neat patties.4 Heat a thin film of the oil in a heavy-based frying pan and add the patties, then cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.5 To make the poached eggs, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the vinegar and season with salt and keep at a very gentle simmer. Break the eggs into the water and simmer for 3-4 minutes until just cooked but still soft on the inside. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper, trimming away any ragged edges of water.6 To serve, place a colcannon cake on each warmed plate and place a poached egg on top of each one. Add a grinding of black pepper and the watercress salad to serve.Egg & cauliflower curry
Serves four
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
2 handfuls chopped fresh coriander, plus extra to garnish
1 tbsp freshly grated root ginger
1 tbsp mild curry paste or powder
1 small cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets
4 eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp sugar
1 Heat the oil in a large pan and tip in the cumin seeds. When sizzling, add the onion and garlic. Reduce the heat to very low and cook the onion mixture very gently for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.2 Increase the heat and sauté the onion until golden, pressing the onion against the sides of the pan to crush it down. Turn the heat down and add the tomatoes, sugar, chillies, coriander, ginger, curry powder or paste, stirring to combine. Season to taste. Add the cauliflower, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the cauliflower florets are soft.3 Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs in a pan of boiling water for about 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water to prevent them from cooking further. Shell the eggs and then using a sharp knife cut each one in half lengthways. Nestle them on top of the cauliflower mixture, with the yolks facing upwards. Spoon over a little of the sauce. Replace the lid and cook on a very low heat for another 10 minutes. Divide among bowls and garnish with the coriander to serve. What’s in Season?
Did you know that the garlic you usually see on shelves in the supermarket has actually been “cured”? This means, when the garlic is harvested, it is hung to dry in a well-ventilated area for several weeks. Once the garlic has been cured, the roots and stalks are usually cut off before being sold, which is why you generally only buy them by the bulb.
Some find the strong flavour of garlic off-putting. Elephant garlic is not a true garlic (it’s a member of the leek family) but the large bulbs are easy to work with and the flavour is much milder. Drummond House Garlic sells a variety of garlics including elephant garlic; you can find them in major stockists and online at www.drummondhouse.ie.
Taylor’s of Lusk are another great Irish garlic producer. Their cured garlic is a favourite of Neven’s – he has been using their garlic and chilli peppers in his restaurant since the beginning of the year – and widely available in Dunnes Stores. You can find them on Facebook here.
Colcannon cakes are a great way of using up leftover potatoes. We sometimes forget how good our potatoes are in Ireland and it has been tough for farmers trying to get them out of the fields with all of the rain we’ve had. I cannot imagine serving a meal in MacNean without some potatoes.
Get some Quality-Assured eggs and poach in a white wine vinegar with salt in the water because the eggs firm up and it toughens the skin. These cakes could be a brunch or starter and you can make them ahead and freeze them if you like.
The egg and cauliflower curry served with rice makes a delicious lunch. I know some people cannot eat eggs and this recipe works without them. I love cauliflower. It is so versatile. You could add in sweet potato, butternut squash and any veg you like to bulk this up.
There are chillis in this recipe and believe it or not these are now being grown in Ireland. The Taylors are a family company based outside Lusk and they have diversified to become one of the few commercial growers of chillis in Ireland. I went to visit them last year and I was overwhelmed. They also grow wet garlic and they dry it out to the garlic we all know and use. They produce the best garlic and chilli that I have ever tasted. I am using their products in the restaurant since the beginning of the year.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Colcannon cakes with poached eggs. \ Photography: Philip Doyle. Food styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith
Colcannon cakes with poached eggs
Serves four
450g (1lb) potatoes
15g (½oz) butter
3 scallions, finely chopped
50g (2oz) Savoy cabbage, shredded
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 large eggs
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
watercress salad, to serve
1 Cook the potatoes in a covered pan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender. 2 Meanwhile, heat a knob of the butter and 1 tbsp of water in a heavy-based pan with a lid over a high heat. When the butter has melted and formed an emulsion, add the scallions and cabbage with a pinch of salt. Cover, shake vigorously and cook over a high heat for 1 minute. Shake the pan again and cook for another minute, then season with pepper.3 Drain the potatoes and mash until smooth. Fold in the cabbage mixture. Shape the mixture into four balls, dust lightly with flour and press into neat patties.4 Heat a thin film of the oil in a heavy-based frying pan and add the patties, then cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.5 To make the poached eggs, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the vinegar and season with salt and keep at a very gentle simmer. Break the eggs into the water and simmer for 3-4 minutes until just cooked but still soft on the inside. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper, trimming away any ragged edges of water.6 To serve, place a colcannon cake on each warmed plate and place a poached egg on top of each one. Add a grinding of black pepper and the watercress salad to serve.Egg & cauliflower curry
Serves four
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
2 handfuls chopped fresh coriander, plus extra to garnish
1 tbsp freshly grated root ginger
1 tbsp mild curry paste or powder
1 small cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets
4 eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp sugar
1 Heat the oil in a large pan and tip in the cumin seeds. When sizzling, add the onion and garlic. Reduce the heat to very low and cook the onion mixture very gently for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.2 Increase the heat and sauté the onion until golden, pressing the onion against the sides of the pan to crush it down. Turn the heat down and add the tomatoes, sugar, chillies, coriander, ginger, curry powder or paste, stirring to combine. Season to taste. Add the cauliflower, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the cauliflower florets are soft.3 Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs in a pan of boiling water for about 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water to prevent them from cooking further. Shell the eggs and then using a sharp knife cut each one in half lengthways. Nestle them on top of the cauliflower mixture, with the yolks facing upwards. Spoon over a little of the sauce. Replace the lid and cook on a very low heat for another 10 minutes. Divide among bowls and garnish with the coriander to serve. What’s in Season?
Did you know that the garlic you usually see on shelves in the supermarket has actually been “cured”? This means, when the garlic is harvested, it is hung to dry in a well-ventilated area for several weeks. Once the garlic has been cured, the roots and stalks are usually cut off before being sold, which is why you generally only buy them by the bulb.
Some find the strong flavour of garlic off-putting. Elephant garlic is not a true garlic (it’s a member of the leek family) but the large bulbs are easy to work with and the flavour is much milder. Drummond House Garlic sells a variety of garlics including elephant garlic; you can find them in major stockists and online at www.drummondhouse.ie.
Taylor’s of Lusk are another great Irish garlic producer. Their cured garlic is a favourite of Neven’s – he has been using their garlic and chilli peppers in his restaurant since the beginning of the year – and widely available in Dunnes Stores. You can find them on Facebook here.
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