Colcannon Irish Mashed Potatoes

This may just appear to look like mashed potatoes with bacon, but au contraire, these are Colcannon Irish Mashed Potatoes and they are loaded up! An alternative to traditional boiled potatoes to serve alongside corned beef, I like to serve up my grandmother’s Colcannon Irish Mashed Potatoes. Made with red potatoes, cream and garlic that get mashed together with green cabbage and kale and then get topped with crisp bacon & butter! Drooling yet?

I love the red potato and use it quite often as a baked and mashed alternative to the usual russet. I cut the cream down and added milk, though my Grandmother’s recipe would not dream of it, and definitely kept with tradition and topped it off with a beautiful pat of butter on top before serving with chopped chives.

I like to serve Colcannon Irish Mashed Potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day in honor of my Irish heritage, but they are a fantastic way to shake up any dinner table other than serving just plain mashed potatoes. Colcannon to me is a very underrated and often times unknown Irish side dish and a must try. I’m here to make sure you know about it!

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First off, let’s wash and quarter the red potatoes. Smack the garlic cloves with the side of a kitchen knife to open and place in a large saucepan with the potatoes and cover with water. Add kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat, cook until fork tender. Drain and set aside.

Return pan to medium-high heat, cook and render the bacon until crisp. Set aside to cool slightly and chop. Keep bacon fat in pan, add the cabbage and kale and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes back to the pan. Add the milk, cream, and black pepper and bring to a boil. Using a potato masher, mash and stir potatoes until smooth and thoroughly incorporated with cabbage and kale.

Add the bacon crumbles and season with kosher salt if needed. Transfer to a bowl, top with chopped chives and serve hot with butter on top.

This is one side dish that could easily go with any main course. I’ve even served it alongside some wonderfully slow simmered Beef Bourguignon. So give these Colcannon Irish Mashed Potatoes a try this coming St. Patrick’s Day and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

This recipe previously appeared on Kevin Is Cooking in March 2015 and has been updated with a video.

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Review

4.66 from 20 votes

Colcannon Irish Mashed Potatoes

My grandmother's Colcannon Irish Mashed Potatoes are made with red potatoes, cream and garlic that get mashed together with green cabbage and kale and then get topped with crisp bacon & butter! Recipe video included.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: Colcannon, Irish mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes

Servings: 4

Calories: 341kcal

Author: Kevin

Ingredients

• 1 lb . red potatoes peeled
• 3 garlic cloves smashed
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 4 pieces bacon rendered crisp
• 4 tbsp rendered bacon fat
• ¼ medium head green cabbage cored and thinly shredded
• 1 cup kale chopped
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• kosher salt to taste
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp chives chopped fine

Instructions

• Wash and quarter the red potatoes. Smack the garlic cloves with the side of a kitchen knife to open and place in a large stockpot or Dutch oven with the potatoes and cover with water. Add kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat, cook until fork tender. Drain and set aside.
• Return pan to medium-high heat, cook and render the bacon until crisp. Set aside to cool slightly and chop. Keep bacon fat in pan, add the cabbage and kale and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.
• Add the potatoes back to the pan. Add the milk, cream, and black pepper, and bring to a boil. Using a potato masher, mash and stir potatoes until smooth and thoroughly incorporated with cabbage and kale. Add the bacon crumbles and season with kosher salt if needed. Transfer to a bowl, top with chopped chives and serve hot with butter on top.

Nutrition Facts

Colcannon Irish Mashed Potatoes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 341 Calories from Fat 190

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 21.1g 32%

Saturated Fat 8.6g 43%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 7.7g

Cholesterol 37.1mg 12%

Total Carbohydrates 34.6g 12%

Dietary Fiber 6.1g 24%

Sugars 5.8g

Protein 6g 12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.