Crushed Kale Colcannon

With purple sprouting broccoli and parsley sauce

 
Comfort food doesn’t get much better than mashed potato, but throw in some leafy greens and unctuous fats and that’s a winner! Colcannon and parsley sauce are both well loved British traditions, rarely seen together. Sprouting broccoli is a lovely alternative to the more classical pairing with gammon.
 
Lightly crushing the charlotte potatoes leaves a little texture to mingle with the kale and hold the butter in delicious pools.
 
Crunchy sprouting broccoli and fresh parsley sauce lightens the feel, while easing the indulgence of all that butter.
 
 
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1kg charlotte potatoes
300g +/- kale
80g butter
80g milk
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
As much purple sprouting broccoli as you like
Sea salt flakes and fresh ground black pepper
40g butter
25g flour
400g whole milk
As much parsley as you like (30g minimum)
Fresh grated nutmeg
 

1. Begin by boiling two saucepans of water with lids on. The first is to cook the potatoes. Scrub and cut into small chunks. The second is to cook the kale and sprouting. Pull the leaves from the kale stalk, blanch and refresh. Leave the water to cook the sprouting later on.
2. Once the potatoes are tender, drain and leave to steam in a colander.
3. Melt 40g butter in a pan, remove from the heat and mix in the flour. Slowly whisk in the milk and thicken back on the heat. Once bubbling season with salt, nutmeg and chopped parsley.
4. Squeeze out the kale and chop. Bring some water to the boil to cook the sprouting.
5. Melt the 80g or butter and milk in the potato pan with the garlic, then add the potatoes. Crush, leaving some big chunks, then add the kale.
6. Cook the sprouting in plenty of boiling water and serve with the colcannon, topped with parsley sauce.

 
Chef Notes:

1. Spinach, chard or cabbage also make a delicious colcannon.
2. Topping with a poached egg instead of sprouting (or with), give this recipe a more ‘brunch’ vibe.

Robin Popham
Chef at ‘Create Terroir’ and Sandy Lane Farm veg box customer