Friday, November 16, 2012

Irish Potato, Cabbage and Cheese Torte

by Sheila Connolly

If all goes as planned, I'll be in Ireland as you read this.  I'll even have a kitchen to cook in, and a very good supermarket nearby (better than mine here, and the Irish town has a population of less than 3,000).

Irish food has long had a bad reputation, and I'll admit I've eaten my share of watery stews (throw cabbage, potatoes, carrots and some kind of meat into a pot, add water, serve).  But in recent years the food has improved noticeably, and I laugh each time I see a restaurant listing online that promises locally sourced products. 

 Potatoes and cabbage are the heart of many traditional Irish dishes. This torte can be served as a side dish (with, say, corned beef), or with the addition of ham or Irish bacon*, can stand alone.

1/2 head Savoy cabbage, shredded (that's the crinkly kind)
3 tablespoons butter
4 baking potatoes, peeled and sliced 1
/4-inch thick
8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9-inch quiche pan or pie plate.

 
In a pot of boiling water, blanch the cabbage for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water. Pat dry.


 

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the potato slices to the skillet and toss to coat in the butter.

Ready for the oven
 
Place one-third of the potatoes in the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and half the cheese. Top with half the cabbage, and add salt and pepper, then repeat with one-third of the potatoes, remaining cheese, cabbage, salt and pepper, and end with a layer of potatoes. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes.

 

Remove parchment for last 5 minutes to let the potatoes brown. Slice into wedges.

 

Serves 8 (as a side dish).

*A note about Irish bacon:  it's closer to ham or Canadian bacon than to American smoked bacon, but you may use either if you want a heartier, main-course dish.

 

 

 

5 comments:

  1. This reminds me of something I used to cook years ago from the Moosewood cookbook. I bet you're making it right now over in your Irish kitchen!

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  2. Hi everyone been a long time but I am back to start checking in each day.

    Sheila my great-grandmother use to make something like this. She would use Canadian bacon in hers and would switch the cheese out every now and then. Thank you for the memories and I will have to make this maybe for Thanksgiving have something new.

    :)
    Babs
    Babs Book Bistro

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  3. This is such a classic regional recipe. So many recipes that are handed down were made from the things they had on hand. I've never thought about cabbage with potatoes, but but I bet no one ever walked away from the table hungry. Potassium in the potatoes, fiber in the cabbage, calcium in the cheese -- it's good for you, too!

    ~ Krista

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  4. Sheila, this looks really interesting. I've never put cabbage and potatoes together, but I'll bet this is divine, especially with the cheese. :)

    Avery aka Daryl

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  5. Simple, classic, and I bet it's yummy. Thanks

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