Well hello there. Happy Spring to you! And yes, I know this would have been a great recipe for Paddy’s Day, but guess what, you can make Colcannon anytime. It really won’t break the calorie bank (you can add as much butter as you like, or not!). Any way you make it, Colcannon is a versatile and delicious dish, any night of the week.
Play around with the recipe, made it your own. Use it in place of any recipe you’d serve mashed potatoes. This has the added boost of either kale or cabbage, both powerhouses in the nutrition department. Add in some cauliflower to the mix, and heck, your five a day are almost taken care of.
Lemons go beautifully with potatoes, add some zest and juice at the end of cooking to brighten it up. Don’t cook too long, or that flavor will disappear. Have fun with this recipe, see my other suggestions below.
OPTIONS AND ADD-INS:
- Crumbled bacon
- Irish seaweed
- Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and parsley are particularly delicious)
- Cheese
- Chives
- Cream cheese
Things to make with leftover Colcannon
- Add some ham and turn it into a casserole (if you are from Minnesota, we call it hotdish 🙂
- Make Colcannon cakes (boxty)
- Top a Shepherd’s Pie
- Stuff some mushrooms, top with Parmesan, and bake
- Serve with Bangers and Mash (in place of plain ‘mash’)
- Make Colcannon ‘Bowls’ (add some roasted salmon, steamed broccoli and a little sauce of your liking, and boom, dinner)
Colcannon
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45-50 mintues
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Sidedish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Irish
Description
Colcannon is a very popular dish in Ireland and has been for years and years, like since the 18th century. Created to use up leftover potatoes and leeks, or whatever was on hand. Luckily for us, it’s tasty as can be!
Also note, that garlic is not traditional at all, but we love it in our mash!
Ingredients
- 4 russet (or Yukon Gold) potatoes* (2–2 1/2 pounds), peeled (if I’m using Yukon Golds, I don’t peel them, it’s just my preference) cut the potatoes into 2″ chunks
- 3–4 cloves garlic, whole with skin removed (optional, but so tasty)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (affiliate link), plus extra if needed (use 1/2 the amount if using table salt)
- 4–5 tablespoons butter (good Irish Kerrygold if you can), plus more for serving
- 6 cups (about 5-6 oz.) kale or cabbage, chopped
- 4–5 green onions, minced (about 1/2 cup) (called spring onions in Ireland)
- 1 cup buttermilk or milk
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- Green onion tops for garnish, chopped
Instructions
- Put the potatoes and whole garlic in a medium pot and barely cover with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt (affiliate link), and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain into a colander, and leave in the sink while you sauté your greens.
- Return the pot to the stove and set it over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pot and once it’s bubbling, add the kale (or whichever greens you fancy). Cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until they are tender wilted. Add the green onions and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the potatoes back to the pan with the kale, and use a potato masher and mash the potatoes while mixing with the greens.
- Turn the heat to low, pour in the buttermilk or milk, mix well.
- Taste and add more salt and fresh cracked black pepper as needed and serve hot, with an extra knob of butter. Garnish with a sprinkling of spring (green) onion tops.
Notes
*Swap out some cauliflower in your mash, no one will know the difference! You could even try this dish with sweet potatoes!
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