Ingredients
Potatoes
- 1 kgfloury potatoes
- salt
Greens
- 400 gkale or green cabbage, shredded
To finish
- 200 mlwhole milk
- 100 gbutter, plus more to serve
- 6spring onions, sliced
- salt and white pepper
Directions
- Boil the potatoes whole and in their skins until tender, then peel them while they are still hot.
- Cooking them whole and unpeeled keeps water out of them. Peeled and cubed they take up water, and the mash goes sloppy in a way no amount of butter will fix.
- Cook the kale or cabbage in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes, then drain it very thoroughly and chop it.
- Warm the milk with the sliced spring onions and let them soften in it for 5 minutes.
- Mash the hot potatoes with a ricer or a masher, and never with a food processor, which works the starch into glue.
- Beat in the warm milk with its spring onions, and most of the butter.
- Fold in the greens gently, so they stay in visible ribbons rather than disappearing into the mash.
- Season with salt and white pepper.
- Serve in a mound with a deep well pressed into the top and a large knob of butter melting into it.
- That well is the traditional presentation and it is functional: each forkful is dipped into the butter on the way to the plate.
Technique
- It appears in a Welsh diarist’s account of 1735, which makes it one of the better-documented Irish dishes.
- At Halloween charms were hidden inside, a ring for marriage and a coin for wealth. Warn anyone eating it if you do this.
- Drain the greens properly. Wet cabbage is the difference between colcannon and soup.
Substitutions
- Savoy cabbage, which is the sweeter option, or spring greens.
- Cream in place of some of the milk for a richer mash.
Variations
- Champ, made with spring onions alone and no greens.
- With leeks softened in the milk.
- Fried the next day into cakes and browned in butter.
History
Mashed potato with kale or cabbage eaten at Halloween with charms hidden inside; it appears in a Welsh diarist’s account of 1735.
Frequently asked questions
What is Colcannon?
Colcannon is a salad & side from Ireland: mashed potatoes folded with kale or cabbage and butter. Mashed potato with kale or cabbage eaten at Halloween with charms hidden inside; it appears in a Welsh diarist’s account of 1735.
How long does Colcannon take to make?
Colcannon takes 15 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Colcannon?
Yes, within limits. Savoy cabbage, which is the sweeter option, or spring greens. Cream in place of some of the milk for a richer mash.
What is the most important thing to get right in Colcannon?
Mash the hot potatoes with a ricer or a masher, and never with a food processor, which works the starch into glue.
