Hello, Tuesday. Do you have a treat for us today? And maybe a title? Of course you do. The Boston Marathon was Sunday. None of the Wolves or their ladies participated. But I figured a trip to Boston would be in order for today. This is a traditional Irish side dish that is a great way to hide the green stuff we all need to be healthy but maybe don’t want to eat.

Total Time: 40 Min.
Prep Time: 20 Min.
Cook Time: 20 Min.

10 servings 1/2 cup each

What You Need
1-1/2 lb. baking potatoes (about 5), peeled, quartered
3 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
3/4 lb. cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk, warmed

Let’s Make It
1 – Cook potatoes in boiling water in large saucepan 20 min. or until tender.
2 – Meanwhile, cook and stir bacon in large skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Add onions to reserved drippings; cook and stir 2 min. or until crisp-tender. Add water; stir to release browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add cabbage; mix well. Cover; cook 7 min. or until cabbage is tender and water is cooked off, stirring occasionally.
3 – Drain potatoes; return to pan. Add butter. Mash potatoes until creamy, gradually adding milk. Add cabbage mixture and bacon; mix well.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – How to Test Potatoes for Doneness: To test for potato doneness, insert a fork deep into the center of the potato. There should be no resistance if the potato is done.

Tip 2 – Nutrition Bonus: The potatoes and cabbage in this deliciously different side dish team up to provide a good source of vitamin C. And as a bonus, you’ll get 1/2 cup of the recommended 2-1/2 cups of vegetables per day in each satisfying serving.

It seems like every Irish family has their own version of this side dish, this one belongs to ER nurse Maggie O’Brien. It’s the recipe she learned to make growing up in her grandmother’s kitchen. It’s simple, tasty and it’s the dish she contributes whenever there’s a pot luck dinner on the block. Quinn Donahue, her mate, might even peel the potatoes but if you tell any of the other Wolves, he’s promised to hunt you down. We all know that the Wolves are basically carnivors. Give them meat and they’re happy. Give them potatoes? Hey, their Irish. 😉 They’ll eat cabbage with corned beef if you insist. But make up a batch of colcannon? They dig in like it’s their favorite. Which it might be. If you haven’t read MOONSTRUCK MAFIA: BOSTON, you really should. It’s a big book full of lots of different storylines. No cliffhangers. Just click on a pic with the cover or the title. You’ll pop over to Books2Read to the book’s landing page where you can find the link to the on-line book seller of your choice. Have you had colcannon? Would you try it? I mean… it DOES have bacon!