A Little Dinner... Cabbage and Straw

This dinner is pure delicious comfort food to our family.  We have it a couple times a month.  I came home from work today and smelled it in the kitchen and was so happy!  (My husband is awesome).  I may or may not have had 3 helpings.  Seriously.
It is starchy and delicious and my kids gobble it down.  My sister-in-law found this recipe originally and tried it because her husband would not eat cabbage... and guess what?  He loved this.  We do too.

Our crib notes:  We cut down the total butter amount a bit and use half olive oil/half butter.  We add lots of extra garlic because it is divine.  We use dried sage if we don't have fresh.  You can get a big wedge of pecorino romano cheese (the cheese used in this recipe) at Costco for a steal and it says fresh in your fridge for a long time.  My husband likes to serve grilled or fried chicken on the side, and my sister-in-law adds ground turkey to the recipe.  Me?  I like it sans meat.  Just good old cabbage and straw. And sometimes with grilled mushrooms.  Yum.
Enjoy.  We sure do.

Reposted here for ease:

Cabbage and Straw by Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

• Salt
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 pound fettuccine or pappardelle pasta
• 1 small head Savoy cabbage (about 1-1/4 pounds)—quartered, cored and shredded
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 garlic cloves—smashed, skins removed and cloves halved
• 16 fresh sage leaves, 6 whole and 10 thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1½ cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt it. Add the potatoes and cook for 7 minutes. Add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and cook for 5 minutes.
2. While the potatoes and pasta are working, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and whole sage leaves. Cook until the sage is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the garlic and sage leaves to a small plate.
3. Add the sliced sage and ground pepper to the skillet; just before draining the potatoes, pasta and cabbage, add 2 ladles of the starchy cooking water.
4. Drain the potatoes, pasta and cabbage and add to the skillet. Stir it all together, adding the Pecorino Romano as you work to get a cheesy, buttery coating. Adjust the salt and garnish the pasta with the reserved whole sage leaves and garlic.