Colcannon recipe: how to make this delicious potato and cabbage Irish dish
Easy, delicious colcannon recipe: how to make colcannon, traditional Irish dish with creamy potato mash and cabbage.
Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish of creamy mashed potatoes and cabbage.
Buttery, warming and immensely satisfying, especially on a cold day and when served with juicy Irish lamb, colcannon uses three of the most traditional Irish ingredients, potatoes, cabbage and butter and it is the type of dish everyone loves, even kids!
Colcannon is easy to make and is a dish that is sure to add an Irish touch to your table on St Patrick’s Day or any other time you feel like having a little bit of Ireland at home, no matter where in the world you are.
Today, I am going to share the traditional Irish colcannon recipe and some fun facts about the origins of this dish and the traditions associated with it!
Colcannon ingredients
In its most simple form, the colcannon recipe calls for white potatoes, cabbage, milk, butter and salt, plus water for boiling the potatoes.
You can however add more ingredients to the basic colcannon recipe and it is not unusual to see it made also with spring onions, chives and a sprinkle of black pepper, adding respectively a little extra sweetness or an extra kick to this simple yet satisfying Irish dish.
Irish Colcannon recipe: how to make it at home
Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish of potatoes and cabbage. Easy to make, it is a lovely side for meat dished such as Irish ham, corned beef or lamb and it is a family favorite, usually loved by adults and kids alike!
Ingredients
- 8 medium-sized potatoes (older, floury potatoes work best)
- 1 small size Irish cabbage, chopped
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Irish creamery butter
- Pinch of salt
- water for boiling
Instructions
Peel your potatoes, wash them well and chop them down into small pieces - the exact size doesn't matter, but you want to them makes them all of a similar size to they cook consistently.
Put them into a large pan with lightly salted water, put on the hob and bring to the boil. Cook until tender.
While the potatoes cook, take a skillet, add a dollop of butter and heat it up until it melts. Then, pour in your shredded cabbage and cook, using a wooden spoon to move it around the skillet and ensure it is thoroughly cooked and tender. It will only take a few minutes.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and return them to the pot (off the heat this time), add the remaining butter, milk and mix until melted. Use a potato masher to obtain a fluffy potato mash, then add the cabbage and mix. Adjust for salt and serve.
Fun and interesting facts about Irish colcannon
Colcannon is a dish of the Irish tradition and, as it often happens with dishes with a long history, there are some fun facts and interesting traditions about it worth knowing.
Why is Colcannon called ‘colcannon’?
The word ‘colcannon’ is said to come from the Gaelic word ‘cál’ (=cabbage) and ‘ceann-fhionn’ (=white head) so it seems to derive its name from its star ingredient, the humble Irish cabáiste (=cabbage)
When do you eat colcannon?
Colcannon can be eaten all year round, both potatoes and cabbage being easy to find in Ireland no matter the season however, it is considered a traditional dish for Halloween especially.
There is actually a cool tradition about colcannon at Halloween. When making colcannon for this Irish festivity, it is traditional to hide something in it, little charms such as coins, ring and thimbles.
When served, the charm would randomly end up in the plate of one of the people around the table and that would tell their future’: the coin would predict wealth, the ring would predict marriage and the thimble would predict staying single!
What do you eat colcannon with?
Colcannon is traditionally served as a side dish to meat and goes particularly well with corned beef and ham.
Happy cooking!
