Mix in a handful of green onions and sliced Savoy cabbage into your buttery mashed potatoes for a serving of the traditional Irish colcannon, then top with our onion gravy! Simple food that is far from plain and is absolutely perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
Serve this creamy mash on a side of our delicious Ham or Irish Beef Stew.
With St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaching I wanted to share an authentic Irish recipe and not simply green-coloured stuff. It’s difficult to separate the Irish from the potatoes. The vegetable so loved by the entire nation.
If I am honest, I can’t imagine not eating potatoes at least a couple of days a week. They are so versatile and I don’t need to sell you on the delicious factor!
Roasted, fried or mashed potatoes will always reign supreme. If you want to take them up a notch, you can always bake them with cream in this delicious gratin recipe or layer them with caramelised onions and mushrooms in a cozy casserole.
One of my favourite ways to enjoy spuds is to make Colcannon.
What is Colcannon?
A traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes with milk, butter and most importantly an addition of either cabbage or kale and green onions.
For my recipe I decided to use Savoy cabbage for a couple of reasons. I absolutely love the crinkled texture of the Savoy cabbage leaves. I also find it to be more tender than the white cabbage, which lends itself well to the creamy consistency of the mash.
Some colcannon recipes also feature garlic or bacon. Those are all great additions!
Top Recipe Tips
- For the best fluffy texture use the correct potatoes, which are labeled floury or starchy. Yukon Gold or Russet in the US or Maris Piper, King Edward, Vivaldi and Desiree in the UK.
- Peel and cut the potatoes in the similar-sized pieces, boil in salted water and drain in a colander.
- Let the cooked potatoes steam dry!! This step is important in ensuring your potatoes will turn into a fluffy mash and not a glue-like mess.
- Mash with a potatoes masher, then stir in butter and hot milk infused with green onions. Add in cooked Savoy cabbage last.
- Season well with salt and black or white pepper.
Traditional Colcannon Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 medium potatoes see notes on what potatoes to use
- 50ml/1/4 cup milk
- 6-8 green onions green parts only
- 100g/1/2 cup butter unsalted
- 150g/2 cups Savoy cabbage sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil the peeled and quartered potatoes in salted water until very tender.
- While the potatoes are boiling, add sliced green onions to milk and bring to a boil at low heat, take off the heat and let the green onions infuse the milk.
- Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter in a deep frying pan and saute the sliced Savoy cabbage over low heat till wilted and tender for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can steam the cabbage instead.
- Drain the potatoes and steam dry them to get rid of the excess of water. Return them to the pot and add hot milk together with the sliced green onions, start mashing with a potato masher until mostly smooth, then add butter and keep mashing. Stir in the cooked cabbage and season well with salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Jennifer says
One of my most favorite comfort food recipes ever!!
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Mine too, Jennifer!
wilhelmina says
So creamy and delicious! This has got to be the best comfort around for St. Patty’s day, or any day really!
Toni says
I love that it is so easy to make and only uses a few ingredients!