Colcannon – Traditional Irish Mashed Potatoes
My colcannon recipe also includes bacon, leeks, and scallions for more flavor. It’s a comforting potato side dish that you can serve any time of the year, not just on St. Patrick’s Day!
I make my Colcannon the traditional (and the tastiest way) with fried cabbage that is! I make it every year (okay, many times a year) and the flavor is always the best part!
Colcannon is a traditional Irish potato and cabbage dish. Traditionally, it is a very simple dish that includes fluffy Mashed Potatoes made with a hearty addition of butter and milk. Then, you mix the mashed potatoes with Fried Cabbage and onions.
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This was yummy!!! And easy to make. I’ll be making this again for sure!” ~Barb
Ingredient Notes
- Potatoes – Russet (also called Idaho) potatoes are the best to use for mashed potatoes because they’re soft, fluffy, and fall apart easily. (Do not use red potatoes, they are too waxy.)
- Bacon – Regular pork bacon is best to use in this comforting dish. Feel free to use turkey bacon if preferred.
- Leek – use 2-3 leeks (depending on size). Remember, the only edible part of a leek is the white and slightly green part. Root and dark green leaves are discarded before cooking.
- See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Colcannon
- Prepare the potatoes. Peel potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes so they cook faster. Add potatoes to cold water and season water with salt and pepper.
- Cook the potatoes. Cook potatoes until fork-tender and drain off the cooking liquid. Make sure to reserve some cooking water from cooking potatoes, don’t drain it all completely.
- Mash the potatoes. Add butter and milk to the mashed potatoes while it’s still hot. If needed, add a little more water, a little at a time, checking the thickness while mashing potatoes. Taste to see if more seasoning is needed.
- Cook the bacon. Dice bacon into small pieces and add it to a pan over medium heat. Add a little bit of oil if needed. Sauté bacon until browned and fat is rendered.
- Leek. Add sliced leeks and sauté until softened.
- Cabbage. Add cabbage and season with some salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is fully cooked and soft.
- Combine with potatoes. To combine potatoes and cabbage, simply add sauteed cabbage and bacon to the pot with mashed potatoes and carefully mix until combined.
- Add green onions. Stir in fresh scallions into the mixture.
Recipe FAQs
You can always enjoy this as a side dish with main dishes like Roasted Chicken, Honey Guinness Chicken Drumsticks, Corned Beef Brisket, Beef Brisket, steaks, and many more! You can use Colcannon in Bangers and Mash instead of the classic mashed potatoes.
When you have leftover Colcannon, you an easily make some mashed potatoes cakes with it!
While the taste won’t be affected if you use purple cabbage instead of green, it will look quite different. So for aesthetic purposes, it’s better to use green cabbage.
Yes, this dish is easy to freeze. You can freeze cooled prepared potatoes and cabbage in a freezer bag or airtight freezer food storage container. Get all of the air out and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Mix well once thawed and reheat until warmed through.
Storing and Reheating Recommendation
- Storing: Store colcannon in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it will last 3-5 days. Remember to always use a clean utensil when scooping out leftovers from the storage container and don’t leave utensils in the container while storing.
- Reheating: Much like any other mashed potato dish, you can easily reheat it in the microwave. The microwave is better to use for reheating of individual servings.
- If you need to reheat a large amount, you can transfer the potatoes into a casserole dish and reheat it in the oven. Cover the dish with aluminum foil so that it doesn’t dry out and reheat at 350°F until hot in the middle, about 30 minutes.
- You can also reheat a large amount in a slow cooker. A slow cooker is good to use if you need to keep this dish warm for a longer period of time. If you notice that potatoes don’t have enough moisture, add a little bit of milk.
Make Ahead Instructions
- Make Ahead: You can make the entire dish according to the recipe and transfer it into a casserole dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for 1-2 days. When you’re ready to serve it, pull it out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to warm up.
- You can reheat it in the oven or in a slow cooker. Before reheating, take off the plastic wrap. In the oven, you can cover it loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil and reheat at 350°F for 15-30 minutes, just until heated through.
- In a slow cooker, spread the cold Colcannon and cover with the lid. Let it heat up on LOW heat setting for about 30-40 minutes, until heated through.
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Colcannon Recipe- Irish Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes:
- 3 lbs Russet or Idaho potatoes
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup cooking water less or more if needed
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Fried Cabbage:
- 1/2 lb bacon
- 14 oz cabbage (1/2 of a medium head of cabbage)
- 2 large leeks
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/3 cup diced scallions
Instructions
Potatoes:
- Peel potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes so they cook faster. Add potatoes to cold water and season water with salt and pepper.
- Cook potatoes until fork-tender and drain off the cooking liquid. Make sure to reserve some cooking water from cooking potatoes, don’t drain it all completely.
- Add butter and milk and mash potatoes while it’s still hot. If needed, add a little more water, a little at a time, checking the thickness while mashing potatoes. Taste to see if more seasoning is needed.
Cabbage:
- Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat. Thinly slice leek and cabbage and set it aside.
- Dice bacon into small pieces and add it to the pan. Add a little bit of canola oil if needed. Saute bacon until browned and fat is rendered.
- Add leek and saute until softens. Then, add cabbage and season with some salt and pepper.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is fully cooked and soft. It will take about 10-15 minutes.
- To combine potatoes and cabbage, simply add sauteed cabbage and bacon to the pot with mashed potatoes and carefully mix until combined.
- Stir in fresh scallions into the mixture.
Video
Notes
- Storing: Store colcannon in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it will last 3-5 days. Remember to always use a clean utensil when scooping out leftovers from the storage container and don’t leave utensils in the container while storing.
- Freezing: You can freeze cooled prepared potatoes and cabbage in a freezer bag or airtight freezer food storage container. Get all of the air out and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Mix well once thawed and reheat until warmed through.
- Make Ahead: You can make the entire dish according to the recipe and transfer it into a casserole dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for 1-2 days. When you’re ready to serve it, pull it out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to warm up.
- Reheating: You can reheat it in the oven or in a slow cooker. Before reheating, take off the plastic wrap. In the oven, you can cover it loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil and reheat at 350°F for 15-30 minutes (depending on the size of the dish), just until heated through.
In a slow cooker, spread the cold Colcannon and cover with the lid. Let it heat up on LOW heat setting for about 30-40 minutes, until heated through.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in March 2019.
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
We loved this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you liked it, Tracey!
I found your recipe a few months ago. I’m of Irish decent but had never heard of it, and was intrigued to give it a try. I’m glad I did! I DID add my own little touch to it by adding shredded carrots and chopped asparagus.. I enjoyed it so much, and have been craving it since!! So, I just did another huge pot tonight! Last time, I had some leftovers, so I filled some eggroll wrappers and a stick of cheddar…!! Fried them and dipped in ranch!!! WOW…!! Thanks!!
I am so glad you liked the recipe! I am going to have to try those eggrolls, that sounds so good!
This was yummy!!! And easy to make. I’ll be making this again for sure!
You’re so welcome! I am glad you liked it!