Irish Colcannon Potatoes
A simple side dish amped up with a little extra love, this Irish Colcannon Potatoes recipe is really easy to make. Rich and buttery with deep, earthy flavors blended with Caramelized Cabbage and Onion, these potatoes are great any time of year but especially suitable for St. Patrick’s Day.
Irish Colcannon
Whether St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner or not, this easy Colcannon Potatoes recipe is the ultimate in comfort food. If you love mashed potatoes….you’re going to fall in love with this easy side dish.
Irish food is always welcome in our house, especially when potatoes are involved. We can never have enough potato recipes in our back pocket and this Colcannon is something special you’ll want to whip up on the regular.
What is Colcannon?
If you’ve never had Colcannon, get ready to have your mind blown with the flavor explosion that is this dish. It’s a traditional Irish side that’s made of mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale mixed in.
I took it a step further and caramelized onions with the cabbage for a sweet/savory blend that makes this recipe simply over the top. It’s a little bit like Champ and Colcannon fell in love and had a baby since Champ is made with spring onions.
You can use spring onions or regular onions for this recipe, either will work well.
How To Make Colcannon
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender.
- Cook the onion and cabbage in butter until caramelized while the potatoes cook.
- Drain the potatoes and mash.
- Stir in the cabbage, onions, cream cheese, half and half and butter.
- Serve immediately!
- My Caramelized Cabbage and Onion Colcannon recipe is the bees knees…really, it’s pretty amazing. But really, what I did was mix together two of my favorite things…fried cabbage and mashed potatoes.
My mashed potatoes are the best ever….and that’s not just me saying that. If you haven’t tried them yet, you need to soon…and then fry up some cabbage with a few sliced onions. Mix it all up and you have one magical bowl of goodness.
Serving Suggestions
- The Very Best Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Bangers and Mash with Onion Mustard Gravy
- Irish Nachos with Cheddar Beer Cheese Sauce
- Mini Irish Soda Bread Muffins
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Get the Recipe: Colcannon Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds yukon gold potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 cups sliced Vidalia onion, about one large onion
- 1 head savoy or green cabbage, core removed and sliced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 4 ounces room temperature cream cheese
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
- 1 hand mixer
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, approximately 20 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Stir in the butter until melted.
- Add the onion. Cook until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add the cabbage. Cook until wilted and golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
- Drain the potatoes and mash with a potato masher or fork. Add the cabbage, cream cheese, half and half and butter.
- Continue to mash by hand until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately
9 Comments on “Irish Colcannon Potatoes”
quick question.. I am making your recipe for Irish calcannon…. Do I have to PEEL the yellow potatos?
Hi Debbie! You don’t have to peel them….it’s really just a preference. We don’t peel our potatoes when we make it but some people prefer no peel.
I followed it exactly and it came out to perfection. So good.
Fantastic! Thank you so much for commenting!
I make mine in the oven. Haven”t used sauerkraut before, but I will this time. Line of the bottom of a 13 x 9 roasting pan or glass dish with a layer of sauce and kraut/cabbage mixture.. Place cabbage rolls, seam side down, on top of kraut. Top cabbage rolls with remaining sauce and more then cover the whole pan with a layer of cling wrap (yes it can be used in the oven) and then aluminum foil. Bake for 2- 3 hours in a preheated 350F oven. I was told by a Polish friend, that the layer of cabbage on the bottom of the pot was to prevent the cabbage rolls from scorching. This recipe simply sounds divine Tori. And what I like best to do is double or triple the ingredients and get all the work done at one time. Then the cabbage rolls can be baked or cooked on the stove or crockpot or all three and frozen for future dinners. And do they taste even better, if that is possible, reheated. My mouth is watering.
Thank you for your tips!
I haven’t made colcannon in years. This recipe is quickly being added to my “must make” list. Yum!
I love that you caramelized the vegetables in this colcannon, so much richer flavor that way! Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
This looks amazing, these potatoes are so full of flavor!