1 bunch kale (about 4 - 6 cups), chopped and stems removed
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ cup sour cream
½ cup 35% cream
additional butter to taste
kosher salt
black pepper
Takes ,
serves 6.
Instructions
Boil potatoes: Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks and transfer to a 4 - 6 quart pot. Fill with water to an inch over the potatoes and add a generous pinch of salt and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to moderate, cooking for 10 - 12 minutes or until fork tender. Strain and discard bay leaves.
Cook veggies: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in large stock pot. Add leek, cooking until tender. Then add garlic and kale cooking for about 3 minutes or until tender. Add potatoes back to pot along with sour cream and 35% cream. Mash to combine. Add more butter to taste along with a seasoning of kosher salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Transfer to an attractive serving dish and serve immediately with a knob of butter melted on top.
Colcannon Potatoes
Ingredients
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled or unpeeled
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, greens removed and thinly sliced
1 bunch kale (about 4 - 6 cups), chopped and stems removed
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ cup sour cream
½ cup 35% cream
additional butter to taste
kosher salt
black pepper
Directions
Boil potatoes: Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks and transfer to a 4 - 6 quart pot. Fill with water to an inch over the potatoes and add a generous pinch of salt and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to moderate, cooking for 10 - 12 minutes or until fork tender. Strain and discard bay leaves.
Cook veggies: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in large stock pot. Add leek, cooking until tender. Then add garlic and kale cooking for about 3 minutes or until tender. Add potatoes back to pot along with sour cream and 35% cream. Mash to combine. Add more butter to taste along with a seasoning of kosher salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Transfer to an attractive serving dish and serve immediately with a knob of butter melted on top.
Colcannon Potatoes
4.5 / 5. 6
Boiled potatoes mashed with cream, butter and sour cream, then enhanced with sautéed kale, leeks and garlic…
COLCANNON POTATOES are the best mashed potato mash-up we’ve ever tried!
This side dish recipe is one we know you’ll love as much as we do. It all started with a road trip to Ottawa. I stopped at a little diner on the way home and ordered a pork chop dinner. When the server presented the plate, I noticed a swirl of mashed potatoes ribboned with enhancements. The server explained, “Those are COLCANNON POTATOES. Our chef is Irish.” One bite and I knew I needed to discover everything about this fabulous, yet simple upgrade for mashed potatoes.
Speaking of mashed potatoes, this isn’t our first foray into this hugely popular side dish. Once you’ve tried COLCANNON, make sure to give these other recipes a whirl too: our PARMESAN MASHED POTATOES, our sensational five-ingredient EASY MASHED SWEET POTATOES and our GARLIC MASHED POTATOES. Please also remember that mashed taters make the perfect topper for SHEPHERD’S PIE as well.
Here are some interesting things to remember about this Irish COLCANNON recipe:
INGREDIENTS
COLCANNON, sometimes referred to as Irish mashed potatoes, is a vegetable side dish traditionally made with potatoes, cabbage, unsalted butter, which we always use, and milk. During our research and testing of this beloved dish, we discovered several regional variations in the ingredients used. For this version, you’ll need potatoes, butter, salt and pepper, and a few additional items that make our recipe so memorable: kale, leeks, garlic, 35% cream, sour cream and bay leaves. We always suggest purchasing organic, locally-grown vegetables whenever possible. Not only will your food taste better, but you’re also supporting those hard-working local farmers.
POTATOES
So the star of this recipe is the potato, and for best results, we suggest using a starchy, sometimes referred to as a “floury” variety. Look for russet, Idaho, or our favourite, Yukon gold potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes get top marks for their yellow colour, high starch content and natural buttery flavour. Here are some nutrition facts: potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6 and potassium. They also contain manganese and folate so an all-round good tater. One minor step worth mentioning – we did not peel the potatoes before boiling them fork tender. Leaving the skin on maximizes flavour and helps retain those important vitamins and minerals when we boil them. It’s also less work, which we like too. Once tender, simply drain and set aside while you cook up the rest of the veggies.
KALE, LEEK AND GARLIC
As mentioned above, we elected to make this Irish COLCANNON POTATOES recipe using fresh kale, leeks and garlic instead of green cabbage or savoy cabbage. Although other swap-worthy vegetables can be used, like onion, green onions, chives and scallions, we found our chosen trifecta stellar in delivering the best all-round flavour. We also like how the deep green colour of the kale pops when you mix it in with the creamy mashed potatoes. Speaking of kale, make sure to watch the VIDEO attached to this recipe where we show how to remove the tough, woody stem from the leaves. It’s important to do for a finished potato dish that remains creamy and soft on the tongue.
SAUTÉ
Cooking up the kale, leeks and garlic for this recipe is easy – think of it as a pan fry. We suggest adding the leeks to the melted butter, first giving them a chance to sweat and soften in the heat before adding the kale and garlic. Cooking these veggies until soft is the goal, but don’t overdo it; soft doesn’t mean mushy. Pro tip: follow our lead and use the same pot for boiling the potatoes, sautéing the veggies and stirring the COLCANNON together. This recipe is a one-pot wonder, so instead of using a large saucepan, just use the large pot as we did. Less clean up.
SERVE
Serving this lovely side couldn’t be easier. Simply transfer it to an attractive serving bowl, swirl the top and add a knob of butter. The butter will melt on the steaming potatoes giving the dish even more buttery flavours and creamy texture. There’s nothing wrong with that!
Two important things to conclude this vegetarian side dish recipe post. First, you can do as we did and serve COLCANNON POTATOES with a favourite weeknight main course like our GRILLED PORK CHOPS. It’s also a fabulous mashed potato upgrade for the holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter with ROAST TURKEY, PRIME RIB or OVEN-BAKED HAM. Of course, this traditional Irish dish is especially perfect paired with CORNED BEEF, BEEF STEW or a boiled dinner on St. Patrick’s Day or the Feast of St. Brigid. Just make sure you have a Guinness or two in the refrigerator to pair with it.
Frequent visitors to WATC know I often save the best for last. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that this simple side dish has its own theme song. What?! We’re tickled to have discovered this traditional Irish folk song and the talented singer who shared it with us. Head HERE to hear this delicious ditty, then head to MARY BLACK’S website to support our friend.
This potato side dish is so tasty, we suggest you PIN the recipe to a favourite side dish or vegetarian board on PINTEREST, or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can make them too. We’d also appreciate seeing pics of all the delicious dishes you’re making these days. Use #weekendatthecottage when you post those pics on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks!
Light, fluffy, creamy COLCANNON POTATOES. We’re lucky to have discovered you!
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Ingredients
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled or unpeeled
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, greens removed and thinly sliced
1 bunch kale (about 4 - 6 cups), chopped and stems removed
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ cup sour cream
½ cup 35% cream
additional butter to taste
kosher salt
black pepper
Directions
Boil potatoes: Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks and transfer to a 4 - 6 quart pot. Fill with water to an inch over the potatoes and add a generous pinch of salt and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to moderate, cooking for 10 - 12 minutes or until fork tender. Strain and discard bay leaves.
Cook veggies: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in large stock pot. Add leek, cooking until tender. Then add garlic and kale cooking for about 3 minutes or until tender. Add potatoes back to pot along with sour cream and 35% cream. Mash to combine. Add more butter to taste along with a seasoning of kosher salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Transfer to an attractive serving dish and serve immediately with a knob of butter melted on top.
Until Cottage Season
