Cabbage and Potato Bake

     In many parts of the world eating greens and cabbage on New Year's Day is thought to bring you luck and good fortune in the coming year.  In the South, the belief is that for every mouthful of collards you eat, you will be rewarded with one thousand dollars in the New Year.  This may be how the term 'cabbage' came into being as an expression for money.  This Cabbage and Potato Bake from Emeril Lagasse received glowing reviews on the Food Network website.  I try to post recipes that you can make all in one pot but this one looked so good that I thought it would be worth the effort to add that extra step.  Of course you can fry the bacon and onions in your dutch oven then remove them before adding the cabbage and potatoes but it is infinitely faster and much easier to cook them in your cast iron skillet, or whatever pan you use, at home or over your camp stove. The vegetables baked beautifully in my 12 inch camp oven with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom and the lid completely covered with coals.  Once I set them to bake I left them alone and after 50 minutes the cabbage was soft, the potatoes were tender when pierced with a knife and they were ready to be taken off the coals.  Believe me when I say this, once you try this recipe you will never go back to boiling cabbage again.  Maybe it was the sugar cured bacon and Vidalia onions but the vegetables had a sweetness to them like I've never tasted before.  If you don't try this dish now, file it away for St. Patrick's Day, it's easy to see why it got 5 star reviews. 
     I wish you a very Happy New Year and I hope you resolve to do the things that bring you joy in the coming year, whether it's preparing a nice weeknight meal for your family or backpacking into the wilderness and cooking over an open fire, keep those coals lit, your dutch ovens hot and continue to make cooking the adventure it was meant to be. 

Cabbage and Potato Bake
1 cabbage, about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds
2 large Idaho potatoes, about 2 1/2 pounds
8-12 oz. lean bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cups yellow onions, peeled and sliced lengthwise
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups homemade chicken stock, or canned, low-sodium chicken broth

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven.
     Rinse cabbage under cold running water and remove tough outer leaves.
     Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the hard core.
     Cut the cabbage quarters into halves and place, rounded side down, in bottom of prepared oven.
     Peel the potatoes and cut in half lengthwise, cut each potato half into quarters.
     Arrange potatoes in dutch oven, alternating with the cabbage pieces.
     Fry the bacon in a heavy skillet for 7 minutes.
     Add the sliced onions, salt and black pepper to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
     Evenly distribute the bacon mixture and pan drippings over the vegetables.
     Pour chicken stock over vegetables.
     Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until cabbage is tender.
     Allow vegetables to sit in dutch oven for 15 minutes.
     Serve with the bacon and broth spooned over them.


To make it easier saute bacon and onions in a cast iron skillet

Top potatoes and cabbage with onions and potatoes, add chicken broth

Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender

Trust me, cabbage has never tasted so good