This weekend, we’ll be celebrating (or hiding from) Halloween, an excellent excuse for putting on silly costumes and eating way too much chocolate.
Halloween is the American expression of a once-ubiquitous pagan holiday that started in prehistoric Europe and, like many holidays, was adopted and transformed under the auspices of various churches, and then, with the Europeans, was spread to much of the rest of the world in various guises.
Which is why Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead. Italy and Sweden do up All Saints’ Day. In the Philippines, they call it Undas or Undras. And so forth.
In the Celtic world — Scotland and Wales and Ireland and Brittany — some die- hards still celebrate Samhain, which features a harvest feast and lots of cider with which to toast the departed.
Samhain tables come in all stripes, humble to elaborate. In Scotland, revelers often include a version of rumbledethumps, the Scottish answer to Irish colcannon or English bubble and squeak — in essence, a tasty way to use up a bunch of potatoes and cabbage. Everyone will eat it, and it’s so buttery and good that no one will complain that they don’t like cabbage.
Plus, it has the unassailable advantage of having an excellent, Halloween-y sounding name.
Rumbledethumps
Rumbledethumps is a great side dish next to a pork chop. Leftovers are unbeatable at breakfast with a couple of poached eggs. Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 pound potatoes, diced into 1-inch cubes and boiled for 15 minutes, then cooled (leftover roasted, baked or mashed potatoes also work great here)
1 head green cabbage, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
Directions
Lightly mash the potatoes, and mix thoroughly with cabbage.
In a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Cook the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Press potato mixture into skillet. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Cook, without disturbing, for at least 5 minutes, until potatoes are crispy and deep brown on the bottom. Carefully turn potatoes over. Don’t worry if potatoes break up as you turn them. As you turn the potatoes, add remaining butter to the pan. Cook at least 5 minutes more. Potatoes will be crispy and very brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Optional: Depending on the town and the cook, a recipe for rumbledethumps may also call for a handful of grated cheese, or a few fresh herbs like chives or thyme. Some cooks substitute kale for cabbage, if that’s what’s available.
