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My recipe for Colcannon, or Irish Mashed Potatoes, is a deliciously flavorful and fluffy mashed potatoes recipe with shredded savoy cabbage, green onions, garlic, and plenty of butter! Ready to serve in just 30 minutes.
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Colcannon Recipe
One of my favorite recipes to make as a side dish for my family is a classic bowl of mashed potatoes. There is no failing when it comes to buttery, soft mashed potatoes served with just about any dinner you can think of!
Of my mashed potato recipes, this recipe for Colcannon, or Irish mashed potatoes, is one of my favorites. This dish isn’t just mashed potatoes: it’s mashed potatoes with cabbage, a delicious combination that pairs well with main dishes of all kinds.
The best part about making homemade Colcannon is that it takes just 30 minutes from start to finish, using simple ingredients. Colcannon is an easy mashed potatoes recipe your family will love!
Irish Mashed Potato Ingredients
- Medium-size potatoes, peeled and quartered
- Butter
- Green onions, finely sliced
- Garlic clove, crushed
- Savoy cabbage, finely shredded and packed
- Whole milk
- Salt and pepper
Colcannon makes the perfect Irish Thanksgiving food and even serves as one of the best side dishes for roast beef, if you want ideas for Irish Christmas side dishes. It’s one of my favorite gluten-free side dishes, and is a great choice for serving over the holidays!
How to Make Colcannon
- In a medium saucepan, add peeled and quartered potatoes and cover them with cold water and a pinch of salt. Boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and boil for another 7 minutes. When they are fork-tender, drain the potatoes, then return them to the saucepan over low heat for 30 to 40 seconds. Shake every so often to reduce moisture, then set aside.
- In the same pan, melt butter over low-medium heat, add some of your green onions to the saucepan with garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
- Finally, add the cabbage and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Turn the heat to low, then add the potatoes back to the pan. Mash them, gradually mixing them into the other ingredients in the pan.
- Once the potatoes are mashed and mixed well, slowly add the milk. Stir in until it is absorbed into the potatoes. Add the remainder of your butter, salt, and pepper, and mix through.
- Serve with extra butter and green onions, and enjoy!
Irish Mash Tips
- Peel your potatoes before making mashed potatoes. Unless you like potato skins in your mash, it’s better to peel them beforehand.
- Boiling potatoes works out best when you first place them in cold water and then bring up to a boil.
- I always make sure to salt the water when boiling potatoes, as some of that salt will get absorbed by the potatoes, which adds to the flavor. Not all of the salt will be absorbed, so it’s okay to be a bit generous with the salt.
- If you cut your potatoes no larger than an inch and a half, and turn the heat down as soon as the water boils so it simmers, you should have perfect fork-tender potatoes in around 7-8 minutes.
- The most important step to perfect mashed potatoes is to let the potatoes dry out before mashing. Many mashed potatoes fail because the potatoes are full of water, caused by boiling for too long or not drying them out. How do you dry them out? It’s simple! Once you drain the cooked potatoes, return them to the saucepan. Over low heat, cook them for another 30 seconds, shaking the pan often. This will steam away any excess moisture.
- If you mash potatoes too long, your mashed potatoes will become over-mashed and way too soft.
What is Colcannon?
Colcannon is an Irish mashed potatoes recipe that includes cabbage. Traditionally, you would create a “well” in the center of the mashed potatoes as a place to add melted butter. Cabbage adds a nice texture to the mashed potatoes, though kale or other leafy greens may also be used if preferred.
Colcannon Recipe FAQs
Colcannon goes well with holiday meals such as a prime rib, turkey, or ham. It also pairs well with braised meats, especially pot roast or stew. Irish stew is a great choice to pair with colcannon.
Though colcannon traditionally uses green cabbage, red cabbage may be used to make this dish if you prefer.
You can make Irish mashed potatoes ahead of time by preparing the entire dish according to the recipe instructions, then transferring it to a casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap, tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Remove the plastic wrap before reheating in the oven.
What are the best potatoes for mashed potatoes?
For making colcannon, I recommend using potatoes with high starch content. Yukon Gold or Russet makes the best mashed potatoes! Waxy potatoes do not mash as well and may take longer to prepare, which can result in over-mashed potatoes.
Best Mashed Potatoes Recipes
This recipe makes a great side dish for the holidays. Pair it with my other Side Dishes for Ham, Side Dishes for Prime Rib, or Christmas Side Dishes!
📋 Recipe
Irish Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 medium potatoes peeled and quartered
- 6 tablespoons butter divided (4:2)
- ¾ cup green onions finely sliced (scallions)
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 2 cups savoy cabbage finely shredded & packed
- ½ cup whole milk
- Salt + pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add potatoes and cover them with cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and boil for 7-8 minutes until fork-tender. Finally, drain the potatoes, then return to low heat for 30-40 seconds, shaking every so often to steam off residual moisture. Set potatoes aside.
- In the same pan, melt 4 Tablespoons of butter over low-medium heat. Reserving 2 Tablespoons of your green onions, add the remainder to the pan with the garlic, and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add cabbage and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until soft.
- Finally, turn the heat to low and add the potatoes back to the pan. Mash them with your spoon, gradually mixing them in with the cabbage and onions.
- Once the potatoes are mashed and mixed through, slowly add in milk and stir until it's absorbed by the potatoes. Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter, salt, and pepper, and mix to combine.
- Serve with extra butter and green onions on top, and enjoy!
Notes
- Peel your potatoes before making mashed potatoes. Unless you like potato skins in your mash, it’s better to peel them beforehand.
- Boiling potatoes works out best when you first place them in cold water and then bring up to a boil.
- I always make sure to salt the water when boiling potatoes, as some of that salt will get absorbed by the potatoes, which adds to the flavor. Not all of the salt will be absorbed, so it’s okay to be a bit generous with the salt.
- If you cut your potatoes no larger than an inch and a half, and turn the heat down as soon as the water boils so it simmers, you should have perfect fork-tender potatoes in around 7-8 minutes.
- The most important step to perfect mashed potatoes is to let the potatoes dry out before mashing. Many mashed potatoes fail because the potatoes are full of water, caused by boiling for too long or not drying them out. How do you dry them out? It’s simple! Once you drain the cooked potatoes, return them to the saucepan. Over low heat, cook them for another 30 seconds, shaking the pan often. This will steam away any excess moisture.
- If you mash potatoes too long, your mashed potatoes will become over-mashed and way too soft.
Nutrition
Photos by Marie Roffey.
Wendy says
I make colcannon with diced ham mixed in and serve it as a main dish. It’s our go to meal for St. Patrick’s Day.
Marion Myers says
Yes! We love this recipe on St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s also a nice change to add to other holiday meals like Thanksgiving. So much flavor! Thanks for stopping by, Wendy 🙂