Colcannon is a hearty & traditional Irish comfort food that combines creamy mashed potatoes with tender cabbage or kale. Simple, easy and satisfying, it's a great way to get more vegetables into your day.
While very similar to champ, colcannon takes a slightly different path by making cabbage the hero, rather than scallions. The result is a delicious blend of smooth potatoes and slightly crunchy cabbage, all bound together with plenty of butter and milk.
Colcannon pairs wonderfully with many main dishes, from corned beef to Irish stew. It's also fantastic alongside sausages & gravy aka "Bangers and Mash".
The core recipe is a mixture of potato, milk, butter and cabbage, but I give the option of making it fully loaded, featuring bacon, leek and scallions.
Ingredients for Colcannon
At it's simplest, colcannon is made from the following:
- Potatoes - use a mashing potato variety; see tips below for the best potato varieties to use.
- Cabbage or kale - traditionally, green cabbage is used, but kale is a popular modern variation.
- Milk - full fat for the creamiest result.
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
It's quite common to add additional ingredients as well:
- An oniony flavour from scallions, leeks, or chives.
- Bacon - Irish bacon is cut from the loin and has some fat attached. If you can't get fatty bacon, you can use butter when sautéing the greens.
Essential equipment for making colcannon
For the best result, use a potato ricer. It will give you a great texture because the potatoes are forced through small holes, which makes the texture smooth and uniform.
If you don't have a potato ricer, a regular old potato masher will work fine.
Step-by-step guide to making authentic Irish colcannon
Prepare ingredients. Peel and cut the potatoes into equal sized chunks. Finely slice the cabbage and cut into 5cm (2") lengths. Slice the scallions (if using). Halve and slice the white part of the leek and wash it well (if using), and dice the bacon (if using)
Cook potatoes - place the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with water (1). Add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender - when they're cooked, drain them and allow to steam dry for a few minutes before adding back to the pan and placing the lid on them to keep them warm (2). Continue with the rest of the recipe while the potatoes are cooking.
Cook bacon (if using) - heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the bacon, and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is golden, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a bowl, leaving the fat in the skillet. If you used streaky bacon or whole rashers, remove most of the fat to a bowl, but keep it aside for later if needed.
Cook greens - add the leek and cabbage or kale (1) to the bacon fat in the skillet. If you're not using bacon, or if there's not enough fat left, add up to 30g of butter. Cook for 5-7 minutes until wilted and tender (2). Remove from heat when done. Wait until the potatoes are nearly ready before proceeding to the next step.
Prepare milk - In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk with 70g of the butter and add the scallions, if using. Heat until warm but not boiling, then remove from the heat.
Mash and combine - using a potato ricer or potato masher, mash the potatoes (1). Add the milk & butter mixture, along with the greens and bacon, if using (2). Stir well to combine (3) and season with salt and pepper.
Serve - if serving on a serving platter, use a spoon to make an indentation. Add a knob of butter and a little more pepper.
Tips for making perfect colcannon
- When mashing the potatoes, you might add cold butter and milk to the potatoes - this works when you're in a rush but it cools the potatoes down. By warming the milk and butter together along with the scallions, the milk mixture is infused with the taste of the scallions and the potatoes are kept warmer.
- Don't overcook the potatoes - keep an eye on them and mash them when they're tender. Overcooked potatoes disintegrate in the water and end up a grainy mess. Test doneness regularly while they're cooking.
- For extra flavor, cook the cabbage or kale in the bacon fat if you're serving colcannon with bacon.
- Make sure to drain the potatoes well and let them steam dry for a few minutes to avoid watery colcannon.
- Use a potato ricer for the smoothest texture.
- Always use room temperature water when boiling potatoes to ensure even cooking of the potatoes.
- If you're using streaky bacon or full rashers they will likely be too fatty, so make sure you remove excess fat to avoid the greens from getting greasy.
What to serve with colcannon
As with champ, colcannon is a side dish and works well with many different dishes - particularly hearty fare such as pies and stews.
Here's some ideas for you for what to serve your champ with:
- Sausages & gravy aka "Bangers and Mash"
- Irish stew
- Rissoles
- Grilled or roasted meats - particularly lamb.
- Beef and Guinness pie.
You can use colcannon as a substitute for anywhere you'd make mash potatoes.
Best potato varieties for colcannon
For the best colcannon, use high-starch, floury potatoes. These varieties will give you a fluffy and creamy texture which is perfect for making the best colcannon.
Australia:
- Sebago
- King Edward
- Kennebec
USA:
- Russet/Idaho
- Yukon Gold
UK:
- Maris Piper
- King Edward
Make ahead, reheating and freezing colcannon
Colcannon can be made ahead and reheated easily. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan with a little extra butter.
To freeze, portion the colcannon and store in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Customising your colcannon recipe
While respecting the traditional recipe, here are some ways to put your own spin on colcannon:
- Not traditional, but sauté some garlic in the butter before adding the milk and scallions.
- Stir through some sliced parsley when you add the other ingredients to the mashed potato.
- Add a little wholegrain or Dijon mustard after combining the mashed potatoes with the milk, butter and scallions.
- Replace up to half of the potatoes with swede or turnips.
- Sprinkle some (preferably Irish) cheddar on top before serving for a cheesy twist.
- For a special occasion, try adding a tablespoon of Irish whiskey to the milk when warming it.
Colcannon
| Prep | Cook | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 10 mins | 20 mins | 30 mins |
- 1kg mashing potatoes, peeled and cut into equal size chunks see note 1
- 250g cabbage, finely sliced and cut into 5cm (2") lengths green cabbage or kale works best, see note 2
- 100g butter divided into 70g and 30g, or more to taste - see note 3
- 150ml milk approximate amount, you might need a little more
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 scallions, finely sliced or more to taste, sub for chives if you'd prefer
- 1 leek, white part only, halved and finely sliced
- 250g bacon, diced preferably back bacon, see note 4
- A knob of butter
- Pepper
- Prepare ingredients. Peel and cut the potatoes into equal sized chunks. Finely slice the cabbage and cut into 5cm (2") lengths. Slice the scallions (if using). Halve and slice the white part of the leek and wash it well (if using), and dice the bacon (if using)
- Cook potatoes - place the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with water. Add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender - when they're cooked, drain them and allow to steam dry for a few minutes before adding back to the pan and placing the lid on them to keep them warm. Continue with the rest of the recipe while the potatoes are cooking.
- Cook bacon (if using) - heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the bacon, and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is golden, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a bowl, leaving the fat in the skillet. If you used streaky bacon or whole rashers, remove most of the fat to a bowl, but keep it aside for later if needed.
- Cook greens - add the leek and cabbage or kale to the bacon fat in the skillet. If you're not using bacon, or if there's not enough fat left, add up to 30g of butter. Cook for 5-7 minutes until wilted and tender. Remove from heat when done. Wait until the potatoes are nearly ready before proceeding to the next step.
- Prepare milk - In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk with 70g of the butter and add the scallions, if using. Heat until warm but not boiling, then remove from the heat.
- Mash and combine - using a potato ricer or potato masher, mash the potatoes. Add the milk & butter mixture, along with the greens and bacon, if using. Stir well to combine and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve - if serving on a serving platter, use a spoon to make an indentation. Add a knob of butter and a little more pepper.
- Potatoes - cutting the potato into equal size chunks will make them cook at the same time. For the best mashed potatoes, use high-starch, floury variety because it'll break down easily during cooking, resulting in a fluffy and creamy texture. Avoid waxy potatoes because they don't mash well - the post details which potato varieties to use if you're unsure. Take care not to overcook the potatoes because they will disintegrate in the water.
- Cabbage - traditionally, green cabbage is used. Kale is a great alternative - remove the leaves from the hard stems. You can use savoy or red cabbage instead, but be aware that the colour from red cabbage will likely seep into the potato.
- Butter - use 70g for the potatoes and 30g to sauté the cabbage and leeks (if using). If you cook bacon, you can use the bacon fat in place of the 30g of butter to sauté the greens.
- Bacon is optional but frequently added to colcannon. Traditional Irish bacon is cut from the loin (also known as "back bacon") with a rim of fat attached. It is similar to Australian shortcut and Canadian bacon, but these are both leaner. If you use streaky bacon or full rashers, you'll likely need to remove some of the rendered fat to avoid making the greens greasy. Conversely, using leaner bacon (i.e. Canadian) means you'll probably need to use butter for the greens.
- Water temperature - always start the potatoes in water from your tap. Don't add potatoes to warm or boiling water; the outside of the potatoes will cook before the inside is cooked through.
- Optional ingredients - while the core of colcannon is potato, cabbage, milk and butter, it's common for leeks or scallions to be used, along with bacon. You can use as many of the optional ingredients as you want - or none.
