Colcannon is a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day treat or winter side dish. Take the best mashed potatoes you ever had and add sweet cabbage, bacon and fried onions and you get this amazing potato dish that satisfies. Expect the family to ask for 2nds and 3rds. If you have any leftover (unlikely but possible) you can reheat it easily.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Irish
Keyword: colcannon potatoes, Irish mashed potatoes, side dish, potato recipe
Servings: 4
Calories: 858kcal
Author: Mirlandra
Ingredients
3poundsYukon Gold potatoes(see note #1)
8stripsthick cut bacon
1sweet oniondiced
6cupsgreen cabbage thinly sliced(about 1/2 a cabbage)
1 ½teaspoonsalt(divided)
½cupheavy whipping cream
6Tablespoonssalted butter
½teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1teaspoonchicken bouillon(see note #2)
Instructions
Peel potatoes and cut into about 8 chunks for each potato.
Place potatoes in a large pot of cool water, enough to cover. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover the pan and cook on high until the potatoes come to a boil.
Turn the heat down to about medium, the potatoes should be simmering nicely. Crack the lid on top and set a timer for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile chop the strips of bacon into ½” chunks. In a large heavy bottom pan, fry on medium-high until the bacon just starts to crisp. Use a slotted spoon to put the bacon on a few layers of paper towels to drain.
Remove all but 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease. Add the sliced cabbage and the diced sweet onion to the 1 Tablespoon of bacon grease. Add the ½ teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat until the cabbage and onion are tender with only a tiny bit of crunch.
Put cream, butter, black pepper and chicken bouillon into a small microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute. Stir. Butter should be mostly melted.
When potatoes are easy to pierce with a fork drain them well.
Put drained potatoes back in the pot and add the cream mixture. Whip with an electric mixer or mash with a potato masher until they are just creamy and few chunks remain.
Fold in the cabbage / onion mixture and bacon. (You can save some of the bacon to sprinkle on top if you like)
Serve hot with corned beef or your favorite main meat dish.
How to Reheat Colcannon
To reheat Colcannon in a microwave: Add a splash of milk to the potatoes and microwave one minute at a time stirring until hot through.
To reheat Colcannon on the stovetop: Add a splash of milk to the potatoes and heat in a saucepan over medium heat stirring frequently until hot through.
Alternately you can form patties of the colcannon and fry in a bit of oil for leftover colcannon pancakes! Serve with over easy eggs and more bacon or sausage!
Notes
Note #1: Yukon Gold potatoes give a really beautiful flavor to this dish. You could use russets or red potatoes if you wish but Yukon is the best by far! When you are mashing Yukon Gold potatoes make sure you work quickly. Drain the potato chunks and then mash them right away to avoid the potatoes becoming starchy. Yukon Gold potatoes that have the chance to cool some before being mashed get gluey fast.Note #2: Chicken Bouillon is the magic ingredient in my mashed potatoes that gives a wonderful savory background flavor. I have two favorites for this recipe that are available at most stores. Knorr Chicken Bouillon is a powder and easy to sprinkle in. Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Chicken Bouillon is also a great option. It is a paste so just make sure to stir it into the warm cream.