Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes mixed with cooked cabbage. Warm and comforting, this recipe comes to us from Darina Allen’s Irish Traditional Cooking: Over 300 Recipes from Ireland’s Heritage (Kyle Books; 2012).
Yield: serves 8
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb. potatoes (approx. 6–9), like Yukon Gold
- 1 small spring or Savoy cabbage
- 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. boiling milk
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1⁄4 cup butter
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes. Put them into a saucepan of cold water, add a good pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. When the potatoes are about half cooked (about 15 minutes for old potatoes), strain off two-thirds of the water. Replace the lid on the saucepan, put on a gentle heat, and let the potatoes steam until they are fully cooked.
- Remove the dark outer leaves from the cabbage. Wash the rest and cut into quarters, remove the core, and cut each quarter finely across the grain. Cook in a little boiling salted water until soft. Drain, season with salt, freshly ground pepper, and a little butter.
- When the potatoes are just cooked, put on the milk and bring to a boil. Pull the skin off the potatoes, mash quickly while they are still warm, and beat in enough boiling milk to make a fluffy purée. (If you have a large quantity, put the potatoes in the bowl of a food mixer and beat with the paddle.)
- Stir in about the same volume of cooked cabbage and taste for seasoning. Serve immediately in a hot dish, with a lump of butter melting in the center.
Note: Colcannon may be prepared ahead and reheated later in a moderate oven at 350°F, for about 20-25 minutes. Any leftover colcannon may be formed into potato cakes and fried in bacon fat until crisp and brown on both sides—a cousin of bubble and squeak.
