Because Bacon: Sweet Potato and Kale Colcannon

Per my previous post, I am off potatoes for a while. However, since sweet potatoes are in a different family than regular potatoes, I decided to try them. Sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family, whereas white potatoes are in the potato (or nightshade) family. So far, so good. I seem to be tolerating sweet potatoes quite well. I’ve never been much of a sweet potato eater, so I’ve never developed an intolerance to them. I am developing a taste for them, however. They are quite delicious, especially simply roasted in olive oil and salt and pepper.

I also came up with this Irish dish just in time for St. Patrick’s day. Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish consisting of a homey mix of potatoes and cabbage. Cabbage is quite a disaster for my digestive system, but kale is a great alternative. I seem to be tolerating kale just fine and it is somewhat reminiscent of cabbage, so when I came across a recipe in Taste for Life magazine for sweet potato and kale colcannon, I decided to try it. I made up my own recipe with bacon. Because bacon. Do I need to say anything else?

Sweet Potato & Kale Colcannon
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free (Not Low-FODMAP)
serves 4 (as a side dish)

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
2 large sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs), peeled and diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. fresh kale, chopped
2 tablespoons Earth Balance vegan butter
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over low heat until crispy. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Drain all but 1 tablespoon bacon grease from the skillet.
2. Place sweet potatoes in a large pot of water with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes.
3. While potatoes are cooking, add garlic and kale to remaining bacon grease in skillet. Saute on medium-low heat, working in batches if needed, until kale is crisp-tender and reduced to about half of its volume. This will take 5 to 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
4. Drain sweet potatoes and return to them to their pan. Add vegan butter and mash with a potato masher or fork. Crumble the bacon and stir into potatoes. Stir in sauteed kale and season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste). Serve.