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Colcannon is classic Irish comfort food at its finest. Creamy mashed potatoes folded together with tender cabbage and savory bacon. It's simple, humble, and incredibly satisfying.
If your family loves mashed potatoes, this version takes them up a notch with extra flavor and texture, without adding much extra work. And while perfect for St. Patrick's Day alongside Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage, it absolutely deserves to have a place on a busy weeknight table.
Kristen's Keys for Making Colcannon
When it comes to making these Irish mashed potatoes, paying attention to a few small details makes a big difference.
- Dry the potatoes after draining. Let them sit in the hot pot over low heat for 1-2 minutes. This cooks off excess moisture so your mash is fluffy, not watery.
- Use Yukon Golds if possible. They're naturally creamy and buttery, which means you need less effort to get smooth results.
- Don't use a mixer. A handheld masher keeps the texture light. An electric mixer can overwork the starch and turn them gluey. Nobody wants sticky potatoes.
- Warm the milk and butter before adding to the potatoes. Adding warm milk and melted butter rather than cold milk and butter helps ensure maximum absorption and keeps the potatoes smooth and creamy.
How to Make Colcannon
Think of this as me standing next to you in the kitchen, walking you through the process of making insanely delicious mashed potatoes with bacon and cabbage.
Step One: Cook Potatoes
Peel and cube the potatoes into even cubes. Add them to a large pot, cover with cold tap water, add a heavy pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
Step Two: Pan-Fry Bacon
While the potatoes cook, sauté chopped bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan, but save those drippings. They are liquid gold. You'll use them to sauté the cabbage for incredible flavor.
Step Three: Saute Cabbage
Add shredded cabbage (or chopped kale) to the skillet with the bacon drippings. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until softened but not browned. You want tender, not limp. The slight bite adds texture that makes this dish special. Stir in sliced green onions at the end for freshness.
Step Four: Mash Potatoes
At this point, the potatoes should be fully cooked and ready to drain. After draining, return the potatoes to the hot pan. Cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes, or until all of the water has evaporated.
Then, use a handheld masher to mash the potatoes until smooth.
Step Five: Combine
To the mashed potatoes, add warmed milk and melted butter, mixing to combine. Fold the sautéed cabbage mixture and bacon into the mashed potatoes. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Recipe Modifications
- Vegetarian Option: Skip the bacon and sauté cabbage in butter instead of the bacon drippings.
- Swap Cabbage for Kale: Remove tough stems and chop finely and cook as directed before adding to the potatoes.
- Extra Rich: Swap some of the milk for half-and-half for a more luxurious finish. Using Irish butter (such as Kerrygold) is also a great way to increase the richness of this dish.
- Start with Leftover Mashed Potatoes: Pan-fry bacon and cabbage as directed than fold into reheated leftover mashed potatoes.
- Get Creative with Leftovers: Use leftover Colcannon to make Pierogi Lasagna. Out of this world good!
More Favorite Potato Recipes
Colcannon
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, or russet potatoes
- 4 strips thick cut bacon, diced
- 4 cups chopped green cabbage, see notes for using kale
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed (plus additional if needed)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for cooking potatoes
Instructions
- Scrub and peel the potatoes. Once peeled, chop even ½-inch cubes. Place the potatoes into a large heavy-bottomed pot and add cold water so that the potatoes are covered by 1 inch of water. Stir in 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and bring the potatoes to a rapid boil over high heat. Once boiling rapidly, turn the heat to medium-high and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, in a separate frying pan or cast-iron skillet, brown the diced bacon over medium-high heat until browned and crispy. Remove the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, reserving the bacon drippings in the pan.
- Add 4 cups chopped green cabbage to the bacon drippings and cook, over medium heat, stirring often, until the cabbage mixture is softened, about 5 minutes. Add in ¼ cup sliced green onions and saute for 1 minute longer just to soften. Remove the cabbage mixture from the heat.
- Once the potatoes are fork-tender, drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pan cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes to allow any excess moisture to evaporate. Remove the potatoes from the heat and mash with a potato masher until super smooth and creamy.
- Combine 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 cup whole milk in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until warm to the touch. Add the warmed mixture, along with ½ teaspoon kosher salt, to the mashed potatoes and continue to mash until creamy and smooth. If needed, add 1-2 tablespoons at a time, to reach the desired consistency.
- Fold in the wilted cabbage, green onions, and cooked bacon. Taste and add in additional salt to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is another keeper Kristen! I have never had this before even though I am part Irish. We both enjoyed it and I will make it again. I did make use of the instant pot in cooking the potatoes. I cooked the bacon and cabbage in a skillet while the potatoes were cooking, and then added them to the instant pot after mashing the potatoes. This was a very tasty dish.
I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed, Debbie! Thank you for sharing your modifications as well.
This turned out to be sooo good! This Irish mashed potato was so filling and creamy, everyone loves it!
I used russet potatoes and they turned out very creamy and luscious.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing! Happy St. Patrick's Day!