Some comfort food


 
Tim Campbell

Tim Campbell

TVWBB Gold Member
My Irish grandmother used to make a killer shepherd's pie at Christmas. I've tried to duplicate it for years. Even with her recipe, followed to the letter, it's just not the same without her. But it's still pretty darn tasty. Inside cook on this one, but easily done outside, too.

Never knew my grandfather but after they immigrated, he built their home in the 1930s by hand. Had this gorgeous outdoor brick oven (with chimney). After he passed, my grandma stopped using it and adapted her crowd-cooks for the indoors. This is one that she used to do as a girl in Ireland, outdoors, and is a major reason why he built the outdoor oven. Apologies for the weak pics.

1.5lbs lamb, .5lbs ground beef. Lots of veg among other ingredients.
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Colcannon. Nothing else is the same. Cabbage, 2lbs russet, heavy cream, cheddar, etc. Mashed by hand or in ricer, never in the KA. Her rules, folks.
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Baked off uncovered for about 35 minutes. The missing corner was, umm, probably a mouse 🙄.
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Not the greatest shot there...we couldn't wait.
Like I said, comfort food. Not very healthy but...comforting.
 
My wife, born & raised in Blackrock c/o Dublin, makes her colcannon a bit differently. Onion and cabbage sauteed in bacon drippings and mixed into russets mashed with copious amounts of butter & heavy cream. Recipes vary depending on the area, much like they do here.

We always have colcannon with my home cured corned beef for St. Paddy's day, even though the traditional Irish dish is said to have been, "a lump of hairy bacon, boiled in a kettle with the cabbage" :) (Hairy bacon likely referred to a skin on picnic or shoulder that had a few hairs on it in the early days).
She makes a great shepherd's pie but just tops it with mashed spuds. Must be getting lazy in her old age :) She tells me that her mother, from c/o Leitrim, sometimes used Colcannon, so I'll be insisting this year :) Some great food in any event.
 
Bob Bailey said:
My wife, born & raised in Blackrock c/o Dublin, makes her colcannon a bit differently. Onion and cabbage sauteed in bacon drippings and mixed into russets mashed with copious amounts of butter & heavy cream. Recipes vary depending on the area, much like they do here.

We always have colcannon with my home cured corned beef for St. Paddy's day, even though the traditional Irish dish is said to have been, "a lump of hairy bacon, boiled in a kettle with the cabbage" :) (Hairy bacon likely referred to a skin on picnic or shoulder that had a few hairs on it in the early days).
She makes a great shepherd's pie but just tops it with mashed spuds. Must be getting lazy in her old age :) She tells me that her mother, from c/o Leitrim, sometimes used Colcannon, so I'll be insisting this year :) Some great food in any event.
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Haha! Love that bacon dripping idea, Bob. Irish butter rules.
My mom's family is from Donegal. Letterkenny.
 
That's some fine comfort food and last name.:cool:
My Wife Kelly's maiden name is Campbell, but Scottish ancestors.
Her B-day is March 17..
 
timothy said:
That's some fine comfort food and last name.:cool:
My Wife Kelly's maiden name is Campbell, but Scottish ancestors.
Her B-day is March 17..
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Thanks! Interestingly, my dad's side is Scottish. Turns out we were a bit of a problem back in the day. Great bday for Kelly...that's funny.
 
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