Colcannon Irish Potatoes

4.75 from 142 votes

Colcannon is pure traditional Irish comfort food at it’s absolute best. Nothing beats a good Irish potato recipe, especially one that combines those potatoes with lots of garlic, leeks, cabbage and spring onions. This is one traditional Irish dish that will make it back to your family table time and time again.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: colcannon, Irish potatoes

Servings: serves

Calories: 330kcal

Author: Whole Food Bellies

Ingredients

2 lbs potatoes of choice washed well and cut into large chunks
2 whole cloves of garlic peeled, not minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large leek white and light green parts only, sliced thinly
½ head cabbage sliced thinly
3 spring onions sliced thinly
salt to taste
4 tablespoons good quality butter cubed. Plus more for serving
½ cup milk plus extra as needed
extra butter to serve

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Put the cubed potatoes and whole garlic cloves in a medium pot and cover with cold water by at least an inch. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil. Boil at medium-high heat until tender, about 15-20 mins (see notes).
2 lbs potatoes of choice, 2 whole cloves of garlic
Once cooked, drain over the sink in a colander.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Once hot, add in the leeks and cabbage and cook until wilted, and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 4 mins. Remove from heat and set aside.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large leek, ½ head cabbage
Pop the drained potatoes back into the medium pot, add in the cubed butter, and mash the potatoes with a potato masher, slowly adding the milk until the potato mix is really smooth and creamy.
3 spring onions, salt, 4 tablespoons good quality butter, ½ cup milk
Add in the cooked greens, and the spring onions and salt to taste and mix well.
Serve hot. Use a spoon to make a small hollow on top and add a knob of butter.
extra butter to serve

Notes

Potatoes

Do not chop the potatoes too small or they will turn to watery mush and the result will not be as creamy.

I used sierra red potatoes here as I love the red flecks in the result.

However other potatoes good for mashing include are russet, yukon gold, and kennebec varieties.

Mashing the Potatoes

For an even smoother mash, try using a potato ricer.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

These potatoes can also be frozen, however the cabbage might become a little more soggy on thawing and reheating.

Nutrition