Irish Colcannon (Creamy Potatoes and Cabbage)

"This dish is a favorite to be served on All Saints Day in Ireland. It is also said that it was a favorite of Jonathan Swift."
 
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photo by Mamas Kitchen Hope photo by Mamas Kitchen Hope
photo by Mamas Kitchen Hope
photo by Bonnie G #2 photo by Bonnie G #2
photo by puppitypup photo by puppitypup
photo by Leggy Peggy photo by Leggy Peggy
photo by *Parsley* photo by *Parsley*
Ready In:
45mins
Ingredients:
7
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Strip outer leaves from cabbage.
  • Shred cabbage (or kale), place in a saucepan with water to cover the bottom and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and simmer until crisp-tender, about 5-10 minutes.
  • Drain well.
  • (opt.) Liquefy in blender.
  • Boil potatoes in a separate kettle, covered with water, until tender.
  • In a small saucepan cook leeks or onions and cream(or milk) about 10 minutes.
  • Mash potatoes then season with salt, pepper and mace.
  • Mix in the onions and milk.
  • Combine the potato mixture with cabbage or kale, beating it to a pale green fluff over low heat.
  • Pour into a deep warmed dish.
  • Dab with butter or margarine.
  • NOTE: Leftovers can be fried in oil until crisp and brown on both sides.
  • OPTION: Substitute ground nutmeg for mace.

Questions & Replies

  1. A bit confused about which part of the cabbage I am to use. Am I to use the outer leaves that I stripped off, or am I to discard those outer leaves and use the remaining head?
     
  2. A bit confused about which part of the cabbage I am to use. Am I to use the outer leaves that I stripped off, or am I to discard those outer leaves and use the remaining head?
     
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Reviews

  1. Who needs a main dish? I could eat this all by itself! I used the cabbage and the leeks. I didn't do the optional step of liquifying the cooked cabbage. I like the slight crunch in the mashed potatoes. I added just a little bit more salt. This is a real keeper! Thanx for sharing it.
     
  2. Made it for St. paddies day as a side. Turned out great and fresh. I used half of the cabbage and added a pinch more salt.
     
  3. I'd picked this out for St. Paddy's Day then at the last minute changed the menu so only got around to making it now. What a waste to have waited so long - the taste is so much more flavorful and hearty than regular potatoes and the mace gave it just the right touch. Really enjoyed this, made as directed only change was to cut the amount in half for the two of us and still have plenty left to make some potatoe cakes today that I'm sure will be just as good.
     
  4. Love this! I can't wait to make this again. We did not use all of the cabbage or onions, but still yummy!
     
  5. A friend brought this to a pot luck party a couple months ago, and I ended up eating about half of it, despite not especially liking cabbage or leeks. I've been trying to find a recipe for a while to make my family try it, but I forgot what it was called... finally found one!
     
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Tweaks

  1. Halfed the cabbage and added a pinch more salt
     
  2. Wonderful! I used the kale instead of the cabbage, and the milk instead of the cream. Everyone in my family loved this.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I grew up in PA Dutch country and now live in the suburbs of D.C. I am a homemaker and love to play with my kids who are now 9 and 6. My favorite room in the house is the kitchen. My children used to be explorative eaters... anything went. They are becoming more discriminating ... OK, picky ... so my newest challenge is finding interesting dishes that will meet their tastes. This usually means not admitting to specific ingredients or making them unnoticeable (such as onions). I'm loving the ability to practically pulverize my onions quickly with my food chopper. I love experimenting with different culinary traditions. When I find the time to play in the kitchen uninterrupted, dinner can be quite an adventure at our house. My ultimate month off would be to spend a month travelling around the world as a food critic. - send me back to St-Jean-De-Luz in SW France for Chipirones (a fabulous squid dish)along the bay! My favorite cookbooks are:Extending the Table by Joetta Handrich Schlabach, The Williamsburg Cookbook, The Burger Meisters by Marcel Desaulniers, The Common Grill Cookbook by Chef Craig Common, America's Best Bread Machine Baking Recipes by Donna Washburn & Heather Butt, and most recently, the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Book (I finally got a countertop ice cream freezer!)(Update on 03/17/09- hm! Not many changes!)
 
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