Colcannon Recipe The Perfect Irish Mashed Potatoes

What is Colcannon?

This recipe is my take on the traditional Irish Colcannon, a classic Irish mashed potato side dish that has been a staple in the country’s ancestral diet for a few centuries. It’s traditionally made with fluffy, light mash mixed with either curly kale or Savoy cabbage and spring onions (scallions). Often recipes also feature milk, cream and butter, which is added to really elevate that consistency and flavour into something special. Colcannon has links to Halloween as an Irish traditional dish as well as St Patrick’s Day, but it’s perfect as an addition to a comfort food meal any time of the year. This article in the Smithsonian magazine has an interesting delve into the origins of the dish.

Why you’ll love this Colcannon recipe

⭐️ Budget-friendly ingredients ⭐️ Simple but special ⭐️ So easy to make! Does Colcannon freeze well? Yes! Just wait until it’s totally cold and then put into a freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating.

Leftovers

Colcannon cakes can made with leftovers, shaped into patties or even one large cake to fill a frying pan, and they’re SO GOOD. How to make them: Shape the leftover Colcannon, coat in flour and fry until crispy all over. They are a bit like Bubble and Squeak and are perfect served with crispy bacon and a poached egg. You could always use any leftovers to top a Cottage Pie, Shepherd’s Pie, Cowboy Pie or Fish Pie too! Using a ricer also avoids the risk of that DREADED gluey mash potato which comes from too much beating or mashing.

Cooking

Always start your potatoes off in cold water and bring them to the boil so that the water starts to make its way through them as it warms up. This stops the potatoes getting soggy and overcooked on the outside before they’ve had a chance to cook on the inside.