In early Ireland, the weeks before the November 1 celebration of Samhain, the Celtic new year, were the time to harvest the season’s crops, butcher the livestock—and ward off malevolent spirits.
Legends say that the line dividing the human and spirit worlds became blurred as the new year approached. To appease any otherworldly visitors, households left offerings of food out on their doorstep—often colcannon, mashed potatoes studded with green vegetables such as kale, cabbage, scallions, and leeks and topped with a glistening well of melted