Potato and Cabbage Parcels with Herbed Béchamel Sauce

When it comes to vegetables, it doesn’t get more humble than potatoes and cabbage. Both arrived in my CSA share box this week. Instead of the expected sides like potato salad or cole slaw, I wanted to give these two a slightly more substantial role. This is like a stuffed cabbage casserole or pigs in blankets, but lighter.

This recipe has several non linear steps and makes use of tandem cooking.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Ingredients

6-8 fist-sized red skinned potatoes, scrubbed and pricked with a fork

1 medium head of cabbage

1-1/2 Cups diced turkey kielbasa, about half of a standard 14-ounce ring. (You could also use ham or another cooked sausage)

3-4 green onions

1 clove garlic or garlic scape

chives

1 Cup canned evaporated skim milk

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1-2 Tbsp grape seed or olive oil

¼ Cup grated parmesan cheese

nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

chopped fresh dill and basil leaves

Procedure

For the béchamel, part 1:

Warm the evaporated skim milk over low heat and steep half of the fresh dill, one green onion, and some basil leaves in it. Remove from heat and set aside for at least 15 minutes.

For the cabbage leaf wrappers, part 1:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Have a colander nearby.

For the filling, part 1:

Partially cook the potatoes in the microwave. In batches of 4, cook them for half the amount of time your oven specifies for baked potatoes. When you can pierce them with a fork, they are ready. While the potatoes are cooking, chop the onion, garlic, chives, and Kielbasa.

For the béchamel, part 2:

Strain the herbs from the heated milk. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and flour, stirring until you have a roux, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the milk until you have incorporated all the roux. Return to the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 25 minutes more, then add the parmesan cheese, nutmeg, the remaining dill, and salt and pepper to taste.

For the cabbage leaf wrappers, part 2:

When the large pot of water is boiling, stick a large meat fork into the core end of the cabbage, cut around the base with a knife, and dunk it into the water for about 5 minutes. As each layer cooks, remove the whole pliable leaves and place them in the awaiting colander, then replace the cabbage into the water. Repeat this until you have removed all the large leaves. Then, remove the core, and chop the rest of the cabbage to add to the filling. You may want to remove the toughest part of the stem from each leaf.

For the filling, part 2:

Heat the oil in a large skillet. When hot, add the onion, garlic and chives. As the onion softens, chop the partially cooked potatoes into bit size pieces. Add the potatoes, including the skin, to the skillet. Cook in a layer without stirring for at least five minutes to allow the potatoes to brown, then add the Kielbasa and chopped cabbage, stir and reduce the heat to low.

Assembling the parcels: Take each leaf and fill it with 2-3 Tbsp of the potato mixture. Roll into a tight bundle and place, seam side down, in a baking dish. Repeat until you have used all the leaves and filling, tucking them snugly into the dish.

Pour the béchamel sauce over the prepared parcels. Cover the dish and bake for about 30 minutes. Serve 2 parcels with sauce per person.

Note: If you have leftover filling, it is wonderful with a fried egg and a dollop of sour cream on the side.