Colcannon

1 lb purple potatoes
1 lb kale, tough stems removed
3 Tbs olive oil
10 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup milk, warmed

1.) Place potatoes in large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until very tender. Drain, and return to pot. Heat potatoes over medium heat 1-2 minutes to steam off excess water, and set aside.
2) Meanwhile, bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add kale, and cook 5 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
3) Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic, and saute 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and all liquid has evaporated. Stir in kale, and cook 1 minute more, or until hot. Season with salt and pepper.
4) Mash milk into potatoes until soft, but still chunky. Fold in kale mixture and serve.

Review: Ah, a traditional Irish dish that I've often read about in books. Except I doubt this is how it's traditionally made. This was super yummy and worth the effort. Kale is the curliest green I've seen and is a super pain to clean. It often has bugs caught in it's leaves and massive amounts of dirt. This bunch had a live slug that I ditched in the backyard. I hope I didn't destroy the ecosystem. Anyways, this was a hearty, yummy meal. There was no strong prevalent flavor, just a nice blend of "hearty." I'll make this again, but will hope to find prewashed kale someday.

Made again on 3/7/2011.  I used a bag of Petit Medley potatoes, strategically choosing a bag that was mostly baby purple potatoes.  And, I served this with some Gardein 7 Grain Crispy Tenders.  It was a pretty tasty meal, and the crispy tenders were the tastiest I've ever had!!  Yum.