Meatless Monday: Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Winter Vegetables

Fall is the time of year when cabbage, potatoes, leeks, and carrots are in abundance and ready for harvest. Whether you get your vegetables from the garden, the farmer’s market, or the local grocer, these fall vegetables should be fresh and delicious.

Illustration by © Susy Pilgrim Waters

Excerpted from Recipes from the Root Cellar © 2010 by Andrea Chesman 

I chose this recipe for three reasons:

1. I have many of these vegetables on hand. I recently harvested my potatoes, the leeks* in my garden are ready for picking, and my onions and garlic* have been stored in a cool, dark closet from an earlier harvest. 
2. I have tons of carrots leftover from my daughter’s birthday/baptism party over the weekend. Admittedly, they are not from anyone’s garden that I know, but it would be a shame to let good food go to waste.
3. My daughter, who is turning one this Wednesday, is particularly fond of home-cooked carrots and mashed potatoes. Yet, she has taken to spitting out and/or hitting the spoon away if it is any form of pre-processed baby food — smart kid!

With further adue, here is the chosen recipe for this Meatless Monday . . .

Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Winter Vegetables
Serves 4

Colcannon, the Irish dish that matches up mashed potatoes with cabbage and leeks, can be played with. In this version, the mashed potatoes are upgraded with cabbage, onions, and carrots. This hearty dish makes a wonderful main-dish supper, but it can also be served as an accompaniment to quiche, meatloaf, or another rustic meat dish. It is important to cook the vegetables slowly to coax out all their sweetness.

Indredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small head green or savoy cabbage, shredded (6–8 cups)
2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 pounds russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
3 tablespoons butter
¾ cup milk or cream, warmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cabbage and onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until very tender and sweet, about 25 minutes. Stir in the ­carrots and sauté for 5 minutes longer.
2. Meanwhile, cover the potatoes with salted water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and boil gently, covered, until completely tender, 15 to 25 minutes.
3. Drain the potatoes well. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher, press through a ricer, or whip in a standing mixer until they are fluffy. Beat in the butter and milk.
4. Fold the cabbage mixture into the potatoes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Recipe excerpted from Recipes from the Root Cellar by Andrea Chesman © 2010
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*Please note that the recipe does not call for leeks or garlic, but I love leeks and garlic, and I have leeks and garlic, so I am going to add them to my version of this recipe.
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Meatless Monday posts are my effort to pitch the idea of eating meatless one day or one meal a week — for health, for the well-being of animals, and for the environment. I encourage you to give it a try. I also suggest trying variations of these recipes with the produce you have on hand. Additionally, if you are not yet ready to go a full day meat-free, try using these veggie-packed recipes as the focus of your meal.

Our Meatless Monday Recipe Archives:
Vegetarian Lasagna
Braised Chard Pizza and Farmhouse Salad
Mini Frittatas and Shaved Zucchini Salad
Beet Soup, Roasted Plum Quesadillas, and Peach Kuchen
Garden Vegetable Pasta and Grilled Eggplant-Tomato-Basil-Mozzarella Stacks
Indian Spiced Eggplant and Pad Thai
Corn Risotto and Corn Sauce
Spicy Tomato Basil Soup