Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes)

If you add kale to buttery mashed potatoes, that makes it healthy, right? Ha! You’ve gotta try this classic Irish mashed potatoes recipe called Colcannon.

A couple of years ago I was looking for some Irish recipes to make for St. Patrick’s Day when I stumbled on Colcannon.

What Is Colcannon?

Colcannon is Irish mashed potatoes made with milk and butter and mixed with cabbage (or kale) and green onions. It’s similar to another Irish dish, champ, which is mashed potatoes with just the green onions mixed in, but no other greens. I could go for that, a bit of green in my spuds.

How To Serve Colcannon

I read through some recipes and found something in a few of them that made me excited. It’s the way the recipes said to serve it. You scoop the mashed potatoes into serving bowls. Then you put an indentation into each mound of potatoes. Then you add a slice of cold butter to that indentation.

By the time the bowls of potatoes make it to the table, the butter has melted into a little yellow puddle. As you dip your fork into the mash each time, it will go through that puddle each time. Oh my god, right?

I just had to try it and I’m so glad that I did. Delicious! You are so going to love this one! Try serving it alongside a Corned Beef and Cabbage dish.

Colcannon Recipe

Contributor: Christine Pittman

If you add kale to buttery mashed potatoes, that makes it healthy, right? Ha! You’ve gotta try this Irish classic called Colcannon.

• Author: Christine Pittman
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Irish

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Ingredients

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• 3 lbs. potatoes (about 5–7 medium baking potatoes)
• 2 and ½ tsp. salt, divided
• 2 Tbsp. salted butter, plus more for serving
• 4 cups roughly chopped kale
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• ½ to ¾ cups milk

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Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes an cut them into 2-inch chunks. Put them in a large pot with 2 teaspoons of salt and enough cold water to cover them. Partially cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Remove cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
2. Cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and leave them in the colander.
3. Add butter to the pot and put it over medium heat until it melts. Add the kale and ½ teaspoon of salt. Use tongs to stir it until it is well-wilted, 3-4 minutes. Add the green onions and cook for 30 seconds more.
4. Add the drained potatoes and mash them. Stir in ½ cup of milk. Taste. Add more milk to make it moister and more salt if desired.
5. Transfer to soup bowls and dot each portion with a slice of cold butter.

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Notes

This recipe originally appeared on my sister site COOKtheSTORY.

This post originally appeared in December 2016 and was revised and republished in February 2023.