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How We Survived...

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by fiveandspice

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by fiveandspice

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Dirt Cheap Dinner

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Root Vegetable Side
jvcooks's Testing Notes: Fiveandspice's version of a classic Irish colcannon is truly a great dish that keeps you coming back for more. The sauteed cabbage caramelized and added a nice texture and color to the mashed...
Fiveandspice's version of a classic Irish colcannon is truly a great dish that keeps you coming back for more. The sauteed cabbage caramelized and added a nice texture and color to the mashed potatoes. I loved the garlic and peppercorn infused milk that mixed in with the potatoes. Filling enough to be served on it's own, I paired How We Survived... with a piece of grilled salmon for a delicious meal. - jvcooks

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fiveandspice's Notes: When I think of a dirt cheap meal, many things come to mind (including things that make me want to get up on a high horse about how so many "cheap" foods have hidden costs and that we overvalue...
When I think of a dirt cheap meal, many things come to mind (including things that make me want to get up on a high horse about how so many "cheap" foods have hidden costs and that we overvalue low cost in our society when it comes to food and blahblahblah). But, one of the main thoughts that pops into my head is about the foods that poor people, you know, the "commoners," have used to survive for centuries through dry seasons or long cold winters.
In much of the world this survival food is rice and legumes, or cornmeal porridge. But, for those of us from far far north it was storage vegetables and protein sources you caught. Two of the most basic survival meals in Norway through the years were lamb and cabbage stew (actually they used to use mutton, now they use lamb) or codfish and potatoes. It's actually a little funny because these days lamb and codfish aren't necessarily cheap. But cabbage and potatoes still are. And, I nearly always have some hanging around.
So, I decided to combine them for a dirt cheap dinner, augmenting them with the warm flavors of garlic and peppercorns. And then as I went to serve it, I realized, 'oh, I've just recreated colcannon. Ha.' But, a super delicious, personalized version of colcannon. And of course, as soon as I realized this I had to run and get some butter to add the butter eye (is that what it is called in English?)
The trick to making this wonderful is to treat both the potato mashing and the cabbage cooking with great respect. I rice the potatoes instead of smashing them to keep them light. And, I definitely think sauteeing the cabbage is preferable to boiling (although boiling would correspond more with a lot of the food of my childhood!). It's filling enough to be a whole meal by itself. And it makes for a pretty balanced meal too. - fiveandspice

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Serves 3 or so as a main dish

2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream Ask a question about this ingredient

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 teaspoon sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

6 tablespoons butter, divided (I used unsalted, but you can use whatever you have) Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced and cut into about 2 1/2 inch strips Ask a question about this ingredient

3 tablespoons chopped chives or green onions, from the back yard :) Ask a question about this ingredient

Bring a pot of water with the potatoes to boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook until the potatoes are just fork tender. Drain.
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In the meantime, combine the milk/cream, garlic, and peppercorns in a small saucepan. Bring just to a simmer, then remove from the heat, stir in the sugar and salt and allow to infuse while the potatoes cook.
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In a large frying pan, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter over medium-high heat until foaming, then add the cabbage, stirring occasionally, and cook until softened and starting to get nicely browned in places. Remove from the heat.
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Cut 3 of the remaining Tbs. of butter into chunks and place them in the bottom of a bowl. Strain the infused milk/cream into the bowl. Then, using a potato ricer, rice the potatoes into the bowl. Gently fold the potatoes, cream and butter together with a wooden spoon. Then gently stir in the cabbage and the chives/green onions. Season with more salt to taste.
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Divide into bowls. Make a little divot in the potato-cabbage mixture in each bowl and add a pat of the remaining butter to each.
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If you have any leftovers, you can make them into potato-cabbage cakes the next day. Just stir in 1 beaten egg per cup of leftovers. Mix just until combined, then gently form the mixture into patties. Fry in butter until golden brown on each side, then serve. Yum.
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36 Comments on How We Survived...

Amanda.b added 5 months ago

I made this last night, and it was super good! beleive it or not, it was my first time ever cooking or eating cabbage!
I thought I was going to have some leftover to fry today like you suggest, but my boyfriend must've gotten up in the middle of the night and eaten all the leftovers! At least I know he really liked it ;)

fiveandspice added 5 months ago

Wow! I'm so glad you had a good first experience cooking cabbage! It's a winter staple around here. And, I love that your boyfriend ate it in the night. That's hilarious, and totally something my husband would do (and has done)!

petrichor added 6 months ago

I have been oddly craving cabbage lately and this recipe (especially the idea of potato-cabbage cakes from leftovers) sounds amazing. Can't wait to try this out!

fiveandspice added 6 months ago

Thank you! I hope you like it. (And personally, I don't think it's odd to crave cabbage at all! Though, I suppose most people would.)

kiki-bee added 7 months ago

The very first Dutch dish I learned to make on moving to the Netherlands was stamppot, which is mashed potatoes and leafy green vegetables. The Dutch love to mash their veg and potatoes together, and we eat it all winter long; my favorite is with curly kale, and escarole comes in close second. We add diced bacon and smoosh a nice chunk of smoked sausage into the top of the pile, or serve it with a baseball-sized meatball. Best winter dish ever. I will certainly give this one a go next time I have a craving for stamppot (hmm, maybe tonight...)!

fiveandspice added 7 months ago

That's so cool to hear about! I think many countries across Northern Europe developed similar dishes, under similar conditions. A baseball sized meatball perched right in the center sounds awesome! I'm going to try that some time too!

kiki-bee added 7 months ago

Just made this last night, and it was even better than my favorite stamppot! It was just what I was craving, something warm and creamy and comforting to help soothe a nasty cold. Also, I really love the infused cream. I think it would be delicious by itself as a sauce over sauteed cabbage, sans potatoes.

fiveandspice added 7 months ago

I am absolutely thrilled you liked it so much! And I love the idea of making an infused cream sauce and pouring it over sautéed cabbage. That would be fun to try, especially for anyone trying to keep their carbs down.

deanna1001 added 7 months ago

I have the ingredients. And the will. And the desire. Think I'll pop a poached egg into that depression rather than more butter and call it supper tonight! Perfect!

fiveandspice added 7 months ago

I hope you liked it! I loooove the idea of plopping a nice poached egg on top. Delicious!

deanna1001 added 7 months ago

Oh yeah....that worked. Ridiculously delicious! Thanks again. New winter fave...

sdebrango added 8 months ago

I could totally survive on this, delicious.

fiveandspice added 8 months ago

:) Me too!

babytiger added 12 months ago

I made this dish with some adjustments, like adding a little ham I had in the fridge. It's such a comforting dish. I made more than we needed so I could use the leftover as handpie filling for the next day.

fiveandspice added 12 months ago

Mmmmmmm. I totally love the idea of stuffing leftovers into hand pies! That is something I shall definitely have to try!

boulangere added about 1 year ago

I love everything about this - your thoughtful story, your beautiful photo, your simple ingredients, and the thread of love running through all. I look forward to trying it.

boulangere added about 1 year ago

Oh, and congratulations on your well-deserved EP.