Colcannon Sausage Casserole

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This hearty and satisfying casserole is a fantastic way to enjoy the Irish holiday classic in a new way. For the spuds, King Edwards or Yukon Golds work best. Either way, we bake this dish in a separate baking pan here, but if you want to save a pan, you could saute everything in a big heatproof skillet like cast iron and bake the whole thing in the same pan. Pro tip: For the vegan beef stock, Better Than Bouillon makes a deep-flavored stock base that’s sold in the soup aisle of most stores.

Ingredients

Colcannon

6 medium potatoes

1 medium leek

1 1/2 cups (100 g) cabbage or cavolo nero

3 spring onions

4 1/2 Tbsp (65 g) vegan butter

1/2 cup (120 ml) soy milk

¼ tsp fine sea salt

¼ tsp white or black pepper

 

Casserole

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

18 ounces (500 g) Wicked Kitchen Wicked Little Brats or other vegan sausages

1 carrot

1 large onion

1 stalk celery

1 Tbsp plain white all-purpose flour

2 1/8 cups (500 ml) vegan beef stock or veg stock

1 tsp marmite, optional

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup (100 g) frozen peas

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp (20 g) vegan butter

Instructions

  1. For the colcannon, place a medium saucepan of water over medium heat and bring to the boil. Peel the spuds and cut them in 1 inch chunks. Drop the chunks in the water and boil until fork soft, about 10 minutes. Drain and let them sit there steaming for 5 minutes. 
  2. Transfer the spuds to a large bowl and mash with a masher or potato ricer. Cover with a plate and set aside. 
  3. Clean your leeks: Slice off the root end then cut in half lengthwise down the center. Rinse the root end under running water, separating the leaves to remove any grit.
  4. Finely shred the cabbage, and slice both the leek and spring onions thin. Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add 3 Tbsp (40 g) of the buttah. Once melted, add the cabbage and leek and stir-fry until the leek turns translucent and the cabbage softens, 5 minutes or so. 
  5. Transfer the veg to a bowl and set aside. Put the frying pan back over very low heat and add the soy milk, remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp (20 g) butter, spring onions, salt and pepper. Heat until the butter melts and the soy milk warms up (that helps keep the potato mash from going lumpy).
  6. Add the warmed soy milk mixture and the cooked cabbage/leek mixture to the mashed potatoes. Mix well then taste and season with more salt and pepper if you think it needs. 
  7. For the casserole, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Place a large pot over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Slice the sausage into chunky rounds and fry in the pan until browned all over, 5-6 minutes, then remove from the pot and set aside on a plate. 
  8. Peel the carrot then chop it; chop the onion and celery too. Add the onion to the pot and fry for one minute. Add the celery and carrot and stir-fry until the veg smells great, another 5 minutes-ish.
  9. Stir in the flour and let toast a minute. Gradually stir in the stock, followed by the marmite (if using), soy sauce and Worcestershire. Bring to a simmer.
  10. Add the sausages back to the pot and let cook until thickened enough to make a loose gravy. Add the peas, taste the concoction, and season with salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
  11. Transfer the sausage gravy to a baking dish (about 2-quart/2-L size) and top with the colcannon (start at the edges and work your way in).
  12. Cut the butter in bits and scatter them over the top. Place the baking dish on a baking tray, and bake until bits of the colcannon are crusty and browned on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
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The secret to any great mashed potato recipe is to warm your milk and vegan butter before adding. This way your potatoes won’t cool down and go lumpy as you’re mashing. For this recipe we also took the opportunity to simmer the vegan milk with spring onions, adding even more robust flavour to the colcannon!

Be sure to shred your cabbage and leeks as finely as you can. This will give a lovely smooth texture to your colcannon, rather than a chunky, lumpy one. If you have a kitchen mandoline, this will help! 

When topping any casserole with mash, (cottage pie or shepherd’s pie too) be sure to apply the mash in a full layer around the edge before placing any in the center. This stops your mash from sinking into the casserole and also prevents the weight of the mash from pushing the casserole over the edge of the dish. 

Be sure to top the colcannon with extra vegan butter before baking. The fat helps brown and crisp up any mashed potato peaks!

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