Colcannon
on Feb 07, 2023, Updated Feb 24, 2025
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Fluffy, creamy potatoes mashed with sauteed cabbage and kale are a classic Irish dish. Colcannon is perfect for St. Patty's Day!
Colcannon is a fluffy, creamy, and super satisfying mash-up of potatoes, kale, and cabbage. It’s one of the most classic dishes of Ireland, served as a side dish and often on St. Patrick’s Day. But I would happily eat this as a main course on any chilly night!
Serve it up with Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage, Lamb Stew with White Wine, or Beef Stew.
Table of Contents
Colcannon: Fluffy, creamy potatoes mashed with sautéed cabbage and kale are a classic Irish dish — perfect for St. Patty’s Day!
A St. Patrick’s Day Favorite
Millions of Americans claim some Irish ancestry. While St. Patrick’s Day is a celebrated holiday in Ireland, the U.S. tends to have the largest celebrations. The day celebrates St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, and the holiday definitely has an inclusive feel about it…you really don’t need to be Irish to celebrate. The popular saying is, “Everyone’s a little Irish on St. Patty’s Day.”
As with every cultural/national holiday, there are certain foods that just seem right. Favorites include corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, shepherd’s pie, and lamb stews. And then, there is Colcannon.
Colcannon Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are very straightforward — and inexpensive!
- Potatoes – Idaho or Yukon Gold work best for this recipe.
- Butter
- Whole milk and cream – Gives this mashed potato dish its signature creamy flavor and smooth texture.
- Scallions or onion – Or whatever you have around that’s in the onion family!
- Kale – One of my favorite greens to add to Colcannon. Make sure to remove the tough stems before cooking.
- Shredded cabbage – A classic veggie inclusion for this recipe.
Recipe Variations
- The greens are a big cause for discussion when comparing Colcannon recipes. Many recipes call for cabbage, which makes sense. Other than potatoes, cabbage was one of the foods that sustained the Irish people for many years. Some recipes (even some very old ones) call for kale or other greens. I have made it with both cabbage and kale and frankly, I don’t know which I like better. So, I made a version with a combination!
- If you don’t feel like using the creamier items here, or you don’t have them in the house, just add another 1/2 cup of whole milk and call it a day.
How to Make Colcannon
- Boil potatoes: Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt, return to a boil, then add the potatoes (the water should cover the potatoes by at least 2 inches). Simmer for 20 or so minutes, partially covered, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a knife.
- Cook veggies and heat milk mixture: While the potatoes cook, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add the kale and cabbage, and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables have wilted. Meanwhile, heat the milk and the cream together with the scallions in a pot.
- Mash potatoes: Put the potatoes through a ricer or mash with a potato masher until they are smooth or as smooth as you like them. Return them to the pot.
- Add veggie and milk mixtures to potatoes: Add salt, butter, and the hot cream mixture to the potatoes. Stir until combined. Add the kale and cabbage mixture and stir until well blended.
- Serve: Make a well in the center of the colcannon, and put the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the center of the well to melt.
FAQs
Yes! This classic Irish medley of potatoes and greens is delicious but definitely harkens back to poor times in Ireland. The potato blight in the mid-19th century devastated the country, causing years of famine that resulted in Ireland’s population decreasing by half by the beginning of the 19th century. Potatoes were and remain one of the central foods of Irish cooking. This dish celebrates the humble tuber with the addition of milk and cream, as well as whatever green vegetables and members of the onion family are available.
The point, of course, is that in Ireland, they would have made this dish with whatever was available at the time in the region. And so we can use whatever greens make sense for our colcannon on St. Patrick’s Day (or any other day some classic Irish comfort food is warranted).
According to a 1952 Irish cookbook called Feasting Galore written by Maura Laverty, “in the Midlands, Colcannon is called “Thump,” and in the North and West, it is called “Champ.” Champ might be made with only spring onions or scallions as the greens, with no cabbage.
Colcannon Pro Cooking Tips
- When the potatoes are cooked, drain them, return them to the pot, and place the pot back over medium-low heat. Toss the potatoes in the hot pan occasionally for 3 minutes or so until they have begun to dry out (but not to brown). This will allow them to absorb more of the cream mixture.
- If you like, you can make a mound of colcannon on each person’s plate, create a small well in the center, and add a bit of butter to each portion.
What to Serve With Colcannon
More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
- Irish Scones with Smoked Salmon
- Shepherd’s Pie
- Irish Soda Bread
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Roasted Cabbage Wedges
- Simple Beer-Braised Cabbage
- Lamb Stew
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Colcannon
Ingredients
- Kosher salt for cooking the potatoes (plus 1 teaspoon more, or to taste)
- 2 pounds Idaho or Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled and quartered)
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter (cut into pieces, divided)
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup light or heavy cream (or half-and-half; see Note)
- ½ cup sliced scallions or chopped onion
- ½ pound kale (tough stems removed, rinsed well, drained, and sliced thinly into ribbons)
- ½ pound shredded cabbage
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt, return to a boil, then add the potatoes (the water should cover the potatoes by at least 2 inches). Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to simmer for 20 or so minutes, partially covered, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a knife.
- While the potatoes cook, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add the kale and cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and saute for 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables have wilted and are lightly golden in some spots. Meanwhile, heat the milk and the cream together with the scallions in a pot over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- When the potatoes are cooked, drain them, return them to the pot, and place the pot back over medium-low heat. Toss the potatoes in the hot pan occasionally for 3 minutes or so until they have begun to dry out (but not to brown). Remove the pan from the stove, and put the potatoes through a ricer or mash with a potato masher until they are smooth, or as smooth as you like them. Return them to the pot.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons of the butter and the hot milk and cream mixture to the potatoes and stir with a wooden spoon or a whisk until well combined. Add the kale and cabbage mixture, season with black pepper to taste, and stir until the vegetables are well blended with the potatoes.
- Serve the colcannon in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the colcannon, and put the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the center of the well to melt. Alternately, you can make a mound on each person’s plate, create a small well in the center, and add a bit of butter to each portion.
Notes
- If you don’t feel like using the creamier items here, or you don’t have them in the house, just add another 1/2 cup of whole milk.
- When the potatoes are cooked, drain them, return them to the pot, and place the pot back over medium-low heat. Toss the potatoes in the hot pan occasionally for 3 minutes or so until they have begun to dry out (but not to brown). This will allow them to absorb more of the cream mixture.
- If you like, you can make a mound of colcannon on each person’s plate, create a small well in the center, and add a bit of butter to each portion.
I love this version of Colcannon with kale AND cabbage! Everyone loved it!
Great classic Irish dish. I have tried this. your version looks delicious.
This recipe looks wonderful and delicious, and I may even make it outside of St. Patty’s Day!
This colcannon is such a delicious side dish! I want to add some new dishes to my St. Patrick’s Day celebration menu so I tested this recipe – even the kids liked it and they swear they don’t like kale. The end result is creamy and inviting.