Colcannon, a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes with cabbage. It is very tasty and makes a wonderful side dish eaten with corned beef.
Friends impact our lives in more ways than one. I remember a time when St. Patrick’s Day was just another day until I became good friends with K who is of Irish descent. We both share the love of tea, soy, and simple but wholesome foods. She introduced me to the world of organics and many ingredients that I would not otherwise have tried, like spelt flour, carob chips, and agave nectar to name a few. Because of my friendship with her, I am now more aware of things Irish.
St. Paddy’s Day Parade
For the past two years since I started this food blog, I have joined the St. Paddy’s Day Parade hosted by The Daily Spud. This year, the parade is taking a break but our celebration continues. I prepared Soda Bread and Corned Beef and Cabbage as I have done so for the past several years. A Facebook fan mentioned Colcannon and it piqued my interest. When I saw the recipe over at Wives with Knives, I knew I had to give it a try. Cathy’s Colcannon recipe is a good one from her great grandmother.
Colcannon with Stir Fried Cabbage
Most Colcannon recipes call for the cabbage to be boiled. I like this one because the cabbage is simply stir-fried until barely tender. The mashed potatoes is one that I have always made. The recipe below was adapted from Wives with Knives.
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Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes with Cabbage)
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon (cut into ¼-inch strips)
- 6 green onions (thinly sliced)
- 1½ lbs cabbage (thinly sliced) (675g)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mashed Potatoes
- 1½ lbs potatoes (peeled and cubed) (675g)
- 2 tbsp butter (28g)
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup warm milk (120ml)
Instructions
- Boil cubed potatoes in a medium sized pot together with 1 cup water. When water comes to a boil, season with salt. Reduce heat and allow it to cook for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are very soft. Turn off heat. Most of the water would have been absorbed but if there is excess liquid, drain it.
- Add butter, mustard powder, and pepper. Pour in warm milk. Mash potatoes with a potato masher. Set aside.
- Fry bacon in a large pan until almost crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain excess fat, leaving just a tablespoon. Stir in green onions followed immediately by cabbage until just tender, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Add mashed potatoes and give it a quick gentle stir.
- Remove and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Other St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
Here are the other two recipes for St. Patrick’s Day or any day. Simply click on the link or picture to view the recipe.
Cathy at Wives with Knives says
I ate a lot of colcannon last week and your lovely post has made me hungry for it all over again. Your pictures are wonderful. I think this is my all-time favorite potato recipe. Many thanks for the link back to my blog.
Biren says
Thanks Cathy for another excellent recipe! I hope I did your great grandmother’s recipe justice. It was delicious and the family enjoyed it very much. 🙂
Ann@Anncoo Journal says
Oh Biren, I also cooked this yesterday but without the potatoes. Looks so delicious and I must add mashed potatoes next time.
Biren says
I hope you will give this a try. It is a wonderful side dish especially with grilled meats.
Jill Colonna says
Biren,
Now wishing I’d had Calcannon after seeing your lovely post! Haven’t had it in many years and yours is so tempting…
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
Oh Biren, that looks fantastic. I’ve never tried Calcannon before, but think I’d like the stir fried version better than boiled as well. It looks delicious.
PolaM says
Have never tried calcannon but it tastes great!
Marsha @ The Harried Cook says
I love the sound of this! I have never eaten Calcannon, but it sounds delicious with all that bacon and cabbage! Yum! I think i would stir-fry it too… 🙂 I must try this recipe soon! Thanks for sharing 🙂
rebecca says
looks great must try isn’t it the best learning dishes from other cultures hugs
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Sounds like an Irish comfort food! Love the cabbage and potato combination. I’ve never heard of this dish before but sounds like it’s very common meal. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Jeannie says
Looks as good as Cathy’s I actually like the broiled cabbage too, a change from crunchy stir fried type.:) Those bacon must add lots of flavor to this calcannon huh!
Dongxing says
Funnily enough, my version is like yours, ie, stir frying the cabbage quickly. I personally prefer this version anytime as I am not keen on boiled (I should say overboiled!) cabbage that I often associate with colcannon… Also, I’d much preferred to use the sweeter sweetheart cabbage. In any case, I like this dish, especially when we have too much left over mashed potatoes. I like your picture which shows the lovely green!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Looks like I would love this cabbage dish too. Love your serving dish too.
tigerfish says
I need to find an Irish friend! 😛 …no it’s ok, I can always refer to your blog 🙂
It is my first time seeing mashed potatoes cooked with cabbage. Interesting…
Raymund says
I love your version because its not mushy and the method of cooking leaves that crisp in the cabbages
mjskit says
I’ve never had much Irish food except for a lot of fish and chips, so this recipe is new to me. I’m a huge mashed potato fan and love cabbage as long as it’s not overcooked, so this recipe looks great to me! And it’s got bacon! 🙂
Magic of Spice says
What a delicious combination…will have to try this 🙂