Easy Irish Colcannon Recipe (2024)

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By Courtney ODell

5 from 9 votes

Feb 27, 2023, Updated Mar 23, 2024

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This Easy Irish Colcannon Recipe is a delicious combination of creamy mashed potatoes and pan fried cabbage that is lightly seasoned. It’s a must-try for those who haven’t experienced a tasty Irish dish.

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Traditional Irish Colcannon

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner! If you are cooking a big Irish feast to celebrate, this tasty traditional Irish colcannon should definitely be a part of your celebration. Although this recipe is perfect for St. Patrick’s day celebrations, it’s so amazing that you can make it part of your regular meal rotation.

Colcannon is simply a traditional Irish dish with mashed potatoes and cabbage. It’s so easy to make, but seriously delicious. Even if you aren’t a skilled cook, you can successfully make this dish with confidence.

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How To Make Easy Irish Colcannon

This delicious dish comes together quickly and easily with no complicated techniques or ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

  • Potatoes– I used russet potatoes, but you could use Yukon Gold potatoes as well. Peel and cut them into large chunks.
  • Unsalted butter– You will need butter for frying the cabbage as well as more for serving.
  • Salt and pepper– You’ll need salt to add to the potatoes while they cook as well as salt and pepper to season the dish.
  • Cabbage– Traditionally, cabbage or kale is used in this recipe, but you can also use chard or another leafy green. Pack the cabbage in your measuring cup.
  • Green onions– Mince about 3 green onions to add to your cabbage. It should make about ½ a cup.
  • Milk– You can use milk or cream in this recipe. This helps to blend the potatoes and cabbage into a delicious dish.
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With simple ingredients and no complicated techniques, you can whip this Irish dish up like a pro. Follow the steps below!

  1. First, place your peeled and cut potatoes into a medium sized pot. Then, cover them with water.
  2. Add salt to the water, and bring the potatoes to a boil.
  3. Cook the potatoes until they are soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Then, drain them in a colander, and place them in a large bowl.
  4. Next, add butter to a skillet and heat it until it is light and foamy.
  5. Stir in your cabbage or other greens and cook them until they are wilted. Stir continuously.
  6. Once the cabbage has wilted, add the green onions and cook for an additional minute.
  7. Next, pour in the milk and reduce the heat to medium. Add the potatoes and use a masher to mix and mash them with the greens.
  8. Cook and stir everything on medium heat just until everything is warmed back up.
  9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Serve and Enjoy!
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Tips and Tricks to Perfect Irish Colcannon and FAQs:

  • Add butter in the center when serving. This adds more deliciousness to this dish.
  • For best results, cover the potatoes with water that is at least an inch higher than potatoes.
  • Stir the cabbage or other greens continuously. You don’t want them to burn. Only cook them until they have wilted.

FAQs

What temperature should I cook the cabbage and potatoes at?

You will first need to boil the potatoes over medium high heat. Once they reach a boil, you can turn the heat down to medium low and cook until soft. You will then cook your cabbage over medium high heat, but will turn it down to medium after you add the milk.

How long does this recipe take to make?

Not long at all! You will need 10-minutes of prep time and about 10-15 minutes of cooking time. So, these easy Irish colcannon should be ready to go in about 20-25 minutes.

How do I store leftovers?

Irish colcannon can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator. It’s best eaten within 3-days. If you are using leftover mashed potatoes, I would not recommend keeping the leftovers longer than a day.

What type of potatoes can I use?

Traditional Irish colcannon recipes use “floury” potatoes. However, the closest potato to the true Irish recipe in the United States would be the russet potato. However, the creamy nature of the Yukon Gold potatoes make this dish just as delicious. Other varieties of potatoes may not work for this recipe.

Why is it called colcannon?

Colcannon is a Gaelic term called “Cal ceannann”. It means white-headed cabbage. Since this recipe mixes fried cabbage mixed with potatoes, it’s called Irish colcannon which means Irish cabbage.

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What To Serve With Easy Irish Colcannon

Irish colcannon is traditionally served with boiled ham, Irish bacon, slices of salted pork, corned beef and cabbage, Fried Cabbage and Sausage, or hearty lamb stew. But, you can pair this delicious side dish with anything you would eat mashed potatoes with such as Air Fried Chicken Drumsticks, Pan Fried Ribeye Steaks, Easy Baked Pork Chops, or Prime Rib.

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Easy Irish Colcannon

Made with mashed potatoes and cabbage, this Easy Irish Colcannon Recipe is irresistibly delicious and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day too!

Course Side dishes

Cuisine Irish

Keyword irish food, kale, potatoes, saint patricks day, side dish

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 350kcal

Author Courtney O’Dell

Ingredients

  • 4 russet potatoes 2 to 2 1/2 pounds, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • Celtic sea Salt and pepper to taste
  • 5 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for serving
  • 3 lightly packed cups chopped kale cabbage, chard, or other leafy green
  • 3 green onions minced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 cup milk or cream

Instructions

  • Boil peeled, chopped potatoes in a medium pot – you don't need to measure out water, just make sure your water covers over your potatoes. Be sure to cut potatoes into large chunks to help them cook faster. You can also skip this step and use frozen peeled potatoes and microwave or boil until soft.

  • Add a pinch of salt to the water, and bring to a boil.

  • When potatoes are soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork, they are done. Drain in a colander, let sit for a moment while melting butter.

  • Add butter to a pan and heat until light and foamy. Stir in greens, and let wilt and cook down, stirring to prevent burning.

  • Add green onions and cook an additional minute.

  • Pour in milk slowly, stirring as you pour it in, and mix well. Reduce heat to medium.

  • Add in potatoes, and use a masher or a hand mixer to start mixing potatoes and mash them with greens, don't overwork potatoes but mash to soft.

  • Season with salt and pepper to taste – I like to add a bit of garlic powder too sometimes, though it is not strictly traditional.

  • Add a pat of butter in the center when serving, and a crack of fresh pepper on top!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 206mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g

Categorized as:
Irish, Potatoes, Recipes, Side Dishes, St Patrick's Day, Travel Recipes

About Courtney

Courtney loves to share great wine, good food, and loves to explore far flung places- all while masting an everyday elegant and easy style at lifestyle blog Sweet C’s Designs. Sweet C's devoted to finding the best food and drinks you'll want to make or find, around the world!

Read More About Me

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Easy Irish Colcannon Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the Irish colcannon made of? ›

Colcannon is an Irish dish that's made of mashed potatoes, shredded cabbage or kale, green onions and tons of butter and whole milk. Sometimes crumbled bacon is added for an extra-succulent, salty flavor.

What is the difference between Colcannon and Champ? ›

What is the difference between Colcannon and Champ? Both Irish dishes, Champ is mashed potatoes with chopped spring onions (scallions) and milk. Colcannon is Champ with the addition of cabbage and sometimes some herbs.

What is the difference between colcannon and bubble and squeak? ›

He comments that although the basic ingredients of bubble and squeak and colcannon are similar, the two are very different dishes, the former being traditionally made from left-overs and fried to give a brown crust, and the latter "a completely separate dish of potato, spring onion and cabbage, served almost as creamed ...

Does butter thicken mash? ›

By themselves, potatoes mash quiet thick. Adding too much butter or liquid will thin them.

What does colcannon mean in English? ›

Colcannon is a mixture of cooked and shredded cabbage and mashed potatoes. The word colcannon is derived from the Gaelic term cal ceannann, which means "white-headed cabbage" — the vegetable most commonly mixed with potatoes in this dish.

Why is colcannon important in Ireland? ›

Colcannon is a hearty dish that has been eaten on Halloween night for years. Traditionally, a ring was hidden in the dish, and whoever was to find it would be likely to marry in the upcoming year! Colcannon was even paired with a little poem: Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?

What is Boxty made of? ›

Boxty is a thick pancake of mashed and shredded potatoes, flour, baking soda, and buttermilk fried in butter or lard. These are traditionally formed into a circle and cut into quarters or triangles and are usually served as a side dish or appetizer. These are a great way to use up any leftover mashed potatoes.

What is a boxty in Belfast? ›

Boxty (Irish: bacstaí or Irish: steaimpí) is a traditional Irish potato pancake. The dish is mostly associated with the north midlands, north Connacht and southern Ulster, in particular the counties of Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Fermanagh, Longford, and Cavan.

What is coddle in Ireland? ›

Coddle (sometimes Dublin coddle; Irish: cadal) is an Irish dish which is often made to use up leftovers. It most commonly consists of layers of roughly sliced pork sausages and rashers (thinly sliced, somewhat-fatty back bacon) with chunky potatoes, sliced onion, salt, pepper, and herbs.

What do they call mashed potatoes in England? ›

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Mashed potato or mashed potatoes (American, Canadian and Australian English), colloquially known as mash (British English), is a dish made by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, usually with added milk, butter, salt and pepper.

What do Brits call bubble and squeak? ›

The dish's name supposedly derives from the noises made when the ingredients are fried. Similar dishes, also based on fried vegetables, include colcannon (Ireland) and rumbledethumps (Scotland).

What do British people call potato cakes? ›

Bubble and Squeak (or Potato Cakes) is a British classic, and an easy and flexible recipe. You can make it from scratch OR use up leftover veggies. Flavorful, colorful, fluffy, creamy and so so good.

Why do restaurant mashed potatoes taste better? ›

Garlic and herbs are added to boost flavor

Instead of boiling a few potatoes and mashing them plain, a lot of restaurant chefs like to apply a little more finesse. Garlic and herbs infused in butter and cream add a flavor boost without overpowering.

Why can't you add flour to mashed potatoes? ›

Regular flour can also be used to thicken your potatoes as well, but I don't love using it because its raw flavor needs to be cooked out, and it more noticeably dulls the flavor of the potatoes themselves.

Why did my mashed potatoes turn out gummy? ›

Some cells will inevitably burst, releasing tacky gel that helps give mashed potatoes their cohesiveness. But if too much gelled starch seeps out of the cells, either from overcooking or too-vigorous mashing (or both), gumminess ensues.

What does colcannon taste like? ›

Colcannon is full of flavor. If you like mashed potatoes, you'll most likely love this dish. The mashed potatoes get tons of flavor from the green onions and a nice texture from the chopped kale. We all love butter and milk in our potatoes, so that is also in this colcannon recipe with salt and pepper to taste!

Why do the Irish eat corned beef and cabbage? ›

So it was the Irish-American consumption of corned beef that initiated its association with Ireland and the holiday of St. Patrick's Day. And as for pairing cabbage with corned beef, it was simply one of the cheapest vegetables available to Irish immigrants, so it was a side dish that stuck.

What did the Irish eat instead of potatoes? ›

Until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century, grains such as oats, wheat and barley, cooked either as porridge or bread, formed the staple of the Irish diet. The most common form of bread consisted of flatbread made from ground oats.

What is a traditional Irish potato basket? ›

Skibs were a traditional basket from the West of Ireland used to strain and then serve potatoes. The skib was placed at the centre of the gathering, in some cases in place of a table, and used as a communal serving plate for potatoes.

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