Luck of the Irish colcannon

I’ve been meaning to make my Aunt Carrie’s colcannon recipe since she prepared it for us at Christmas. Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage. It’s simple fare—something homey to throw together when you’re overstocked with potatoes and cabbage as I was last week with an enormous head of savoy cabbage and several pounds of red-skinned potatoes in the CSA box.

I didn’t have Carrie’s precise recipe, but I figured an approximation would work. Colcannon is nearly foolproof. Just saute onion and cabbage and combine with smashed potatoes, butter and milk. The potatoes envelop the cabbage to make silky, creamy pot o’ veggies.

I also served a modified version of this Chow recipe for chicken in a white wine and mustard sauce. I used whole grain mustard rather than dijon and threw in fresh thyme since I had some on hand.  All the the ingredients are pantry staples, and the sauce was super tasty slopped over the colcannon.

Irish Colcannon
2 to 3 pounds potatoes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
1 small head cabbage
3/4 cup warm whole milk
Salt and pepper

Instructions
In a medium pot, cover potatoes with cold water. Bring to a boil, salt the water, and cook until tender, 15 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan, and cook onion on medium heat until it softens, 5 to 8 minutes. Add cabbage, turn heat up to medium high, and cover. After about 5 minutes, remove the lid, and toss the cabbage. Continuing cooking until cabbage is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

When potatoes are ready, drain them, and return them to the pot with the remaining butter and warm milk. Mash the potatoes, and add salt and pepper to taste. Combine cabbage and smashed potatoes, and serve.

Serves 6

Tagged as: cabbage, colcannon, Irish, potato