By Brenda Hyde

Did you ever eat colcannon

When 'twas made with yellow cream

And the kale and praties blended

Like the picture in a dream?

Did you ever take a forkful

And dip it in the lake

Of heather-flavored butter

That your mother used to make?

Oh, you did, yes you did!

So did he and so did I,

And the more I think about it

Sure, the more I want to cry.

God be with the happy times

When trouble we had not,

And our mothers made Colcannon

In the little three-legged pot.

(The little pot was known as a Bastable oven, which looked a little like a cauldron with a lid that was put over a fire and used as an oven to bake bread and other dishes. )

Traditional charms were put in the colcannon that symbolized different things. A button meant you would remain a bachelor and a thimble meant you would remain a spinster for the coming year. A ring meant you would get married and a coin meant you would come into wealth. Gather the family together and make this simple, but fun recipe for dinner!

The Colcannon Recipe

Core, quarter and shred the cabbage and place in a pan, covering with boiled salted water til tender-about 15 minutes. Peel and cut the potatoes into 2 inch pieces and cook those too in salted water for about 15 minutes in another pan. (Assign duties to different family members!) Drain the cabbage and chop into very small pieces. Drain the potatoes and mash by hand. Do not use a processor or mixer! Meanwhile, wash and chop the onion-use what is available to you, using the middle parts-not the root end or rough ends of the green part. In a pan large enough to hold the cooked potatoes and cabbage, combine the onions and milk and cook over medium heat until they are tender, about 8 to10 minutes.

Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, and mace to the onions and milk and stir over low heat until well-blended. Add the cabbage and 1/2 cup of butter and stir again to the consistency of mashed potatoes. Mound the mixture in the middle of a platter and make an indentation. Add the remainder of the butter. Serves 4 to 6.

About the author

Brenda Hyde is a wife and Mom of three, a freelance writer, and editor of OldFashionedLiving.com. Her grandfather was born in Ireland and became a merchant seaman at a young age, ending up in America, where her aunt and father were born.