Colcannon Mashed Potatoes are, in my opinion, the king of mashed potatoes. They are the creamiest, silkiest mashed potatoes from scratch and are taken up a notch with little morsels of ham or bacon, sauteed cabbage, and generous bits of butter. These potatoes make a perfect dinner side dish!
Colcannon Mashed Potatoes
Growing up, my dad always preferred buying and making dehydrated mashed potatoes – the kind that came in a packet. They were so much easier to get smooth and were a lot less work compared to peeling, boiling and mashing real potatoes.
And while I’m definitely not anti-convenience (as some of those packet potatoes are actually not bad when it comes to ingredients), once you taste proper colcannon you’ll have a hard time going back to the more convenient options.
If you have a bit of extra time to make potatoes from scratch – this is the recipe you should spend your time on. It even reheats well which I cannot say for the dehydrated variety.
This is a great traditional Irish side dish that is hearty enough to serve as an indulgent lunch or afternoon snack and Saint Patrick’s Day is the perfect excuse to whip up a batch – although, once you taste it, you’ll be able to come up with any excuse to include it in your meal planning!
Even if you skip the cabbage, scallions, and ham (although, on the first batch you definitely should include them) this method of making potatoes shows why the Irish are rightfully known for them.
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Ingredients to Make Colcannon
- 3 pounds potatoes
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/4 cups hot milk
- 1/2 head of cabbage
- 1 lb cooked ham or bacon
- 2 scallions or 4 green onions
- Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- 2 large stockpots
- Vegetable peeler
- Sharp knife
- Potato masher
- Microwave-able measuring cup
Have you ever had Colcannon mashed potatoes? You can make these potatoes as a side to your Corned Beef and Cabbage! And don’t forget to make my Irish Soda Bread too.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/4 cups hot milk
- 1/2 head cabbage
- 1 lb cooked ham or bacon
- 2 large scallions or 4 green onions
- Chopped parsley leaves for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop up potatoes - you can peel if desired.
- Steam or boil them for 30 minutes - steaming allows them to retain a bit of their starchiness, but boiling is easier.
- Meanwhile, chop up the cabbage, ham and scallions.
- Boil the cabbage over medium-high heat for 10 minutes until it turns slightly darker. Drain out the water and add 2 Tablespoons of the butter to the pot and return to heat. Saute for 5 minutes.
- Reheat the ham however you prefer - you can add it to the pan with the cabbage, boil it, or heat it in the microwave.
- When the potatoes are ready, drain and start mashing to remove all of the lumps, adding the butter in as needed to make mashing easier.
- Heat the milk (either on the stove or in the microwave) and add it to the potatoes.
- Season with salt and pepper and then stir in the cooked cabbage and ham, and sprinkle in the scallions.
- Serve with generous Tablespoons of butter and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.
Nutrition
