Colcannon
Buttery mashed potatoes with tender cabbage, corned beef, onions and Irish Cheddar. You may want this instead of gold in your pot at the end of the rainbow!
Who’d have thought to combine mashed potatoes with tender cabbage, generous dabs of butter and the sparkle of green onion? And then name it with such a fun word to say: “Colcannon”? The Irish of course!
The origin of the word is unclear. The first syllable 'col' is likely to be derived from the Irish 'cal' meaning cabbage. The second syllable may derive from 'ceann-fhionn' meaning a white head (i.e. 'a white head of cabbage'). What’s in a name anyway?
One can imagine the genesis of this dish coming about as an eager eater piled his fork with the final remnants on his plate, which contained bits of the entire Irish dinner and with the luck of the Irish, discovered a “bonny” bite! Calcannon was born. Traditionally made of just potatoes, milk, butter and cabbage, I like to add bits of left over corned beef or ham, the only thing missing to make it a hefty side dish.
You don’t have to be Irish to be lucky with this recipe. You can create this “pot of gold” easily in your own kitchen, with out chasing fickle rainbows about the Irish countryside!
Colcannon - Irish Potatoes and Cabbage
3 pounds potatoes, red or Yukon gold recommended
1 stick butter (1/2 cup) plus 3 tablespoons butter
1 ¼ cups hot milk
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 head cabbage, cored and finely shredded
1 pound piece ham, cooked bacon or cooked corned beef
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
1 1/2 cups shredded Irish Cheddar
-Gently boil the potatoes in their skins for 30 - 40 minutes or until fork tender. Peel them using a knife and fork. Roughly chop the potatoes with a knife before mashing. Mash thoroughly to remove all the lumps. Add 1 stick of butter cut into 8 pieces. Gradually pour in hot milk, stirring constantly. Season with a few grinds of black pepper and salt as desired.
-Boil the cabbage in unsalted water until it turns a darker color, about 15 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of. butter to tenderize it. Cover with lid and cook until soft. Drain thoroughly and let cool slightly then chop the cabbage into small pieces
-Shred or chop the ham, corned beef or bacon into small pieces.
-Add cabbage, scallions and meat to the mashed potatoes, stirring them in gently. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
-Spoon Colcannon into a buttered, medium baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley leaves and serve warm. Serves 6 - 8
The potatoes are mashed, the cabbage steamed and everything else ready to go!
Spoon potato mixture into a medium baking dish and top with grated cheeses and garnish.
Warm in oven at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.
Deliciousness from Ireland - a leprechan should be so lucky!
