Colcannon with Bacon and Cheese

St. Patrick's Day is coming up and I still have Irish food on my mind.  Last year I created a great colcannon recipe.  If you're not familiar, colcannon is a dish traditional to Ireland made up of cabbage and potatoes.  I think it is traditionally made with mashed potatoes, but there are hundreds of different varieties out there in internetland.  Some use cubed potatoes, some shredded, some have spinach, some have cheese, etc.  I read a whole bunch of them and then decided to come up with my own recipe.  This one has shredded hash brown potatoes, cheese, and the best part: bacon!


Colcannon with Bacon and Cheese

Ingredients:
2 tbsp bacon fat
½ large onion
½ small head cabbage, chopped
30 oz. package frozen shredded hash browns, thawed and dried
1 tsp salt
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ cup heavy cream
1½ cups shredded cheese, divided

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Saute onion and cabbage in bacon fat.  Add potatoes, salt, bacon, cream, and 1 cup cheese.  Put into 9x13” baking dish.  Cover and bake for 20 minutes.  Uncover, top with remaining cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Nope, not healthy in the least.  But boy, is it yummy!  I know the idea of a dish containing potatoes and cabbage can be a real turn-off to a lot of people, but adding bacon and cheese can really sweeten the deal!  This would make a great addition to your St. Patrick's Day feast this year.