Colcannon Mash Recipe – How to make the best, easy, creamy traditional Irish mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage – with the full video tutorial.

Colcannon Mash Recipe

This Colcannon Mash Recipe is the perfect traditional Irish dish to serve on St. Patrick’s Day or any time of the year when you’re craving a hearty side dish that’s full of great flavor.

The great recipe is also a tasty way to try to tempt picky eaters to try kale or cabbage, with the creamy mash helping to disguise the nutritious ingredient perfectly. 

You can serve Irish potato dish with your choice of traditional Irish food recipes such as Irish stew, Beef and Guinness Pie or Shepherd’s Pie.  

The word “Colcannon” is Irish for white-headed cabbage, (source) and usually refers to the traditional Irish recipe of potatoes and cabbage being boiled together, then mashed. As you’ll see from the recipe though, you can include other greens if you;d prefer, and there are also lots of ways to enjoy Colcannon to suit your own personal tastes. 

The Simple Ingredients For The Easy Recipe

Here are all of the ingredients that you’ll need for the delicious dish, and ideas for adaptations to suit your tastes, dietary requirements and budget: 

Potatoes – living in Ireland, the local potatoes are incredibly creamy in any kind of Irish potato recipe. You can use any local potatoes you can find, such as Russet potatoes, red potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes. King Edward or any other floury potatoes you can find at local grocery stores. 

Kale –  for the nutritious greens in the Irish Colcannon potatoes recipe, you can include kale such as curly kale, as I have done, or swap for green cabbage, savoy cabbage or even collard greens, depending on your tastes and what’s easy to find at the grocery store. 

Cream – to me, the perfect Colcannon has plenty of luxurious cream to add a richness and creaminess that’s irresistible. You can include heavy cream, double cream, single cream or even a little sour cream or cream cheese for an even creamier, fluffier mash. 

Butter –  I’ve included a good few tablespoons of creamy Irish butter for even more creaminess and richness. I’ve gone for unsalted butter because I prefer to add in salt to taste, but you can add in salted butter instead, if you’d prefer. 

Seasoning – you can season the great side dish with your seasoning of choice, I simply go for sea salt, but you could also add in black pepper or any other seasoning you usually like to include in mashed potato recipes. 

Extra Ingredients – there are lots of ideas for added ingredients to adapt the easy recipe to your tastes. Choose from adding in crispy bacon for added protein or you can top your dish with sliced green onions or spring onions for added healthy greens. 

Leftovers – regarding leftover mashed potatoes, you can reheat them on the stove top with a little bit of milk to prevent sticking or pop the leftovers into an ovenproof dish and then bake them at 180C/350F for 20 or so minutes until golden.

Or, another great way of enjoying leftovers is to make Colcannon cakes, by mixing an egg through the leftovers, forming patties and fry until golden for the ultimate Irish potato pancakes. 

Colcannon Mash Recipe

• 500g-1kg/1-2lb Potatoes
• 50g-100g Kale or Cabbage
• 3-4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• 3-4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• Sea Salt, Black Pepper & Seasoning, to taste 

1. Peel the potatoes, chop them into uniform sized pieces and place the potato chunks into a large pot. 
2. Pour cold water over to cover, add salt, pepper and any other seasoning you’d like, then place onto the stove top over medium-high heat. 
3. Cover potatoes with a lid, bring up to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until fork tender and easily mashable. 
4. For the kale or cabbage, you can either separately fry it in lots of butter and then add it to the cooked mash, or about 5 minutes before the mash is ready, add wash and chop the greens, then add it to the pot for the final minutes or cooking. 
5. Remove the mash from the heat, drain the excess water, add the kale or cabbage if it’s not already in the large saucepan. 
6. Add in the heavy cream and butter, then mash until creamy to your liking, using a potato masher or potato ricer. Taste a little and add in more seasoning, heavy cream or butter, to taste. 
7. Serve the creamy mashed potatoes immediately with a hearty Irish stew, corned beef or your favorite meal, storing any leftover colcannon in an airtight container to enjoy within a couple of days. 

Traditional Irish Colcannon Recipe Video

Here’s the video where you can watch the Colcannon Potatoes Recipe being prepared, step by step. Hit play below or click here to watch on YouTube. 

More Classic Irish Recipes 

Easy Baked Potatoes Recipe

Irish Beef Stew

Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage 

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Yield: 6

Colcannon Mash Recipe

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Colcannon Mash Recipe – How to make the best, easy, creamy traditional Irish mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage – with the full video tutorial.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 500g-1kg/1-2lb Potatoes
• 50g-100g Kale or Cabbage
• 3-4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• 3-4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• Sea Salt, Black Pepper & Seasoning, to taste

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes, chop them into uniform sized pieces and place the potato chunks into a large pot. 
2. Pour cold water over to cover, add salt, pepper and any other seasoning you’d like, then place onto the stove top over medium-high heat. 
3. Cover potatoes with a lid, bring up to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until fork tender and easily mashable. 
4. For the kale or cabbage, you can either separately fry it in lots of butter and then add it to the cooked mash, or about 5 minutes before the mash is ready, add wash and chop the greens, then add it to the pot for the final minutes or cooking. 
5. Remove the mash from the heat, drain the excess water, add the kale or cabbage if it’s not already in the large saucepan. 
6. Add in the heavy cream and butter, then mash until creamy to your liking, using a potato masher or potato ricer. Taste a little and add in more seasoning, heavy cream or butter, to taste. 
7. Serve the creamy mashed potatoes immediately with a hearty Irish stew, corned beef or your favorite meal, storing any leftover colcannon in an airtight container to enjoy within a couple of days. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 98