Cabbage and Potatoes- the Irish Standard

Whilst browsing one of my favorite websites the other day, I came across this recipe for roasted cabbage. I haven't had cabbage much, outside of egg rolls and the slimy sheets of boiled cabbage that come with St. Patrick's day corned beef. It sounded so good (and cheap) that I thought I would give it a try. And it was worth it! Here's how I did it:

1 green cabbage
~4 slices bacon
olive oil
salt
pepper

While you're prepping the cabbage, preheat the oven to 450F. First, peel the outer leaves off the cabbage, then cut into quarters. Slice off the thick core part, then cut each quarter in half. Lay the cabbage slices out on a cookie sheet or large roasting pan.

Drizzle olive oil over the cabbage, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Take your bacon pieces, and cut into small slices. I use my kitchen scissors for this, since it's a pain trying to use a knife on smushy fatty bacon. Drape the slices all over the cabbage. I had some leftover bacon, and I didn't want to have only a piece or two hanging out in my fridge, so I used a little more bacon than called for.


I really recommend using better-quality, thick cut bacon. The butcher at my local market sells a really delicious bulk brand, and it's usually cheaper than the crappy prepackaged stuff at the supermarket. You only need a little bit for this recipe, so even the more expensive types aren't too pricey here. Pop the tray in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Take out the pan and close up the oven to keep the heat in, and flip over the cabbage.
This was a little tricky. I used a fork, but tongs or a spatula might work better. Put the tray back in, and bake for another 15 minutes. My cabbage chunks kind of fell apart; leaving a bigger section of the core attached might help keep everything together.

I also made fried red potatoes to go with the cabbage. I used this recipe, but I wasn't that impressed. For one thing, the potatoes took almost three times longer to cook than they were supposed to. If I were to make this combination again, I would start the potatoes first, not the other way around. In any case, take as many red potatoes as youe think you'll eat, and slice them into 1/8th-inch rounds.
Heat oil (or butter, for those who can) in a skillet on medium-low or medium. Lay out the potato slices in the pan, and cover with whatever seasoning you like. I used salt, pepper, sliced onions, and fresh garlic. Rosemary or cajun seasoning would probably be good too.


Cover, and let it cook, checking and stirring every ten minutes until the potatoes are as brown/soft/crunchy as you want. This took about half an hour for 5 potatoes in my 12-inch skillet. Don't turn the heat up too high or the potatoes will be burned before they are soft. Using a lid helps everything to cook through, but it can make the potatoes kind of damp. I left the lid off for the last ten minutes or so.


Dinner was a mixed bag. The cabbage was great, but this was not the best potato recipe I've ever tried. The best part of the cabbage was the burnt-looking crispy edges- they were bacony and flavorful. I don't know how much children would like this recipe, since cabbage is very strongly flavored, and the roasting intensifies that. On the other hand, this was the best cabbage I've ever tasted. Over all, it was a great combination of cheap and delicious.