Mashed potatoes mixed together with sautéed cabbage and onions create this traditional Irish dish know simply as Colcannon. With an amazing depth of flavor and textures, these potatoes are remarkable light, fluffy, and delicious.  There are many versions of these potatoes, some using kale in place of cabbage, while others call for leek, garlic, or scallion. Customarily eaten in the fall when cabbage and kale are in season, I believe Colcannon would make an outstanding and interesting addition to the Thanksgiving table. I have also added this to my list of signature side dishes, along with my Blue Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Onion should I ever open a steak house.

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Colcannon

Mashed potatoes mixed together with sautéed cabbage and onions create this traditional Irish dish know simply as Colcannon. With an amazing depth of flavor and textures, these potatoes are remarkable light, fluffy, and delicious.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Irish

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12

Author Christoph

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 large russet potatoes peeled, cubed, and boiled
• 3 Tablespoon butter
• 2 Tablespoon milk or half-n-half
• 4 - 5 strips bacon crisped and crumbled (optional)
• 1/2 small head of cabbage cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 onion thinly sliced
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic finely diced
• 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley rough chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Peel, cube, and cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until fork tender.
• Crisp bacon in a large skillet. When cooked remove and place on a paper towel. Crumble bacon when cool enough to handle.
• Reserve fat in the skillet.
• Add cabbage and onion to the skillet with the bacon fat and sauté over medium heat until onions become translucent.
• Add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
• Drain potatoes and rice them into a large mixing bowl. Add butter and milk, whip potatoes until smooth (add milk only as needed for consistency).
• Fold in cabbage and onion mixture, two-thirds of the bacon, and parsley.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer Colcannon into a serving dish and top with some butter, and the remaining bacon. Garnish with some fresh ground black pepper, and parsley.

Notes

As mentioned there are many versions of this dish, this is my just my spin. Spinach or Kale makes an excellent ingredient for a variation. Colcannon however should be light and fluffy. I use my potato ricer for best results.

Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan. If you don’t get boxty, you’ll never get a man, or so the saying goes. Boxty, or bacstaí, is the quintessentially Irish potato cake. There are many different way to make these soft and delicious pancakes, with recipes being handed down from generation to generation, from mother to son.

This pancake is made by combining leftover mashed potatoes with shredded raw ones. Many recipes are based primarily on the mashed potatoes, while others use more of the shredded raw potatoes instead. But for the best results, and the smoothest of textures, for a dish that does not fall apart in the pan, the recommendation is to use an equal mixture of raw and cooked potato.

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Boxty

A traditional Irish dish using mashed and shredded raw potatoes to create a tender pancake.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Irish

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Christoph

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed potato, leftovers work great
• 1 cup shredded raw potato
• ½ cup slice scallion
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Toss the flour and baking powder with the shredded raw potatoes and scallion. Mix in the mashed potatoes.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the egg and milk. Add to the potato mixture and combine.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat ¼ cup of vegetable in a large skillet over medium high heat.
• Drop in enough of the potatoes to form a 2″ - 3″ pancake when flattened with the back of the spoon.
• Fry on both sides for 3 to 4 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
• Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. And serve warm.

Notes

Leftover boxty is also used sometimes instead of bread for a sandwich or burger. Now just how good with that be?

What’s Cooking is proud to participate in the Meatless Monday Campaign.