Colcannon (mashed potatoes and kale) recipe

Lately my celebrations for all holidays have been a bit late.  I had great plans to make colcannon (mashed potatoes with either cabbage or kale) for a St. Patty's day potluck, but I ended up working on my dissertation for most of the night.  Already armed with all of the ingredients, I decided to make it the next night.  And now the same thing has happened with my Persian new year celebration (luckily this time a party got in the way, not my dissertation).  Oh well, it's still fun to try new dishes, even if it is on the wrong day.

I love mashed potatoes, and this was a great variation.  Most of the colcannon recipes I see use cabbage, but I decided to make my version with kale because I hadn't had kale in a while.  Given that the texture and taste of cabbage and kale are so different, I imagine that a cabbage version tastes like a completely new dish, but I bet that it would be equally delicious.  It took me a few bites to get used to the interesting mix of textures, but I soon adjusted and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Colcannon
(Printable version)

1 bunch kale, stems removed
2 pounds red potatoes, chopped into quarters
2 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup (or more) warm milk
5 green onions (green part only), sliced thinly
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add kale leaves, and let boil until kale is very tender (about 10 min).  Drain kale, let cool, and then chop it into small pieces.  Next, place the potatoes in the pot, cover with water, add salt, and bring the water to a boil.  Let simmer until potatoes are tender (15-20 min).  Drain potatoes and return them to the pot.  Add butter and warm milk and mash well with a potato masher or ricer.  You may need more milk if your potatoes aren't creamy enough with 3/4 cup.  Then stir in kale and onions and season with salt and pepper.  Serves 6.