Colcannon

Colcannon dates back centuries in Irish cooking and is closely associated with Halloween, when small charms — a ring, a coin, a thimble — were once hidden inside individual servings as a form of fortune-telling for the person who found them. The dish combines two of the most fundamental ingredients in Irish rural cooking, potatoes and brassicas like kale or cabbage, both of which grew reliably in Irish soil and climate. Its name is thought to come from the Irish cál ceannann, meaning white-headed cabbage.

The greens — traditionally curly kale, though cabbage is also used — are cooked separately and folded through freshly mashed potato, not blended together into a puree. A well of melted butter in the center when serving is traditional.