Garlic Colcannon
Colcannon is a traditional Irish mashed potato dish with greens such as kale, leeks, or cabbage added in. However, this version of Colcannon is packed with all three greens as well as some garlic. Flavorful and tasty, this is an easy wholesome spin on Colcannon perfect to serve up for St. Patrick’s Day or any time you want to serve up a spin on a potato dish!
I’ve partnered with Sprouts on this recipe for Garlic Colcannon. All opinions herein are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep this blog spinning.
I adore the simple spud. To date, I cannot think of a potato dish I came across that I didn’t love.
So, when I came across Colcannon, my tastebuds did a backflip.
I mean – there’s potatoes, cabbage (or kale or leeks), green onions, and butter all hanging out together! To me, that’s budget-friendly comfort food at it ‘s finest!
What is Colcannon?
The word “colcannon” is said to be derived from the Gaelic term cal ceannann, which means “white-headed cabbage.”
The story goes that during the 17th and 18th centuries in Ireland, potatoes, cabbage, and leeks were the budget-friendly ingredients of choice for many. And their popularity led to Colcannon which is a classic, comforting mash of potatoes, cabbage (or kale or leeks) and butter (or cream), flavored with spring onions.
Traditionally, colcannon was served as the main dish for Halloween festivities on Colcannon Night.
I perused the interwebs and found so many different variations of Colcannon.
Variations of Colcannon…
While potatoes were the star, some Colcannon recipes called for the use of cabbage only, others for the use of leeks, yet others called for the use of kale.
Some used butter, some used cream, and some others used a combination of butter and cream along with green onions to add flavor. While there were still others that added in some bacon for even more flavor.
Some variations boiled together the potatoes and the cabbage or green vegetable that was used. Some added in sauteed or boiled greens to the boiled and mashed potatoes. And some other recipes re-baked the cooked potatoes and greens after adding cream and butter to them.
With so many variations out there, I decided to come up with my own spin on Colcannon.
As my daughter and I try to incorporate as many greens into our daily diet as we can, I decided to use cabbage, leeks, AND kale in my version. I also opted to skip the cream and only use a little bit of vegan butter in this recipe. I leaned on garlic and green onions to add flavor to this dish.
Like traditional Colcannon, this Garlic Colcannon is a comforting budget-friendly side dish. But, unlike traditional colcannon, this recipe is:
• packed with greens,
• lower in fat, &
• deliciously flavored with garlic and onions!
What are the ingredients to make this Garlic Colcannon?
This dish calls for the following 7 budget-friendly ingredients, and they are:
• A potato,
• Vegan butter,
• Garlic,
• Cabbage,
• Leeks,
• Green onions, &
• Kale.
What do you eat Garlic Colcannon with?
In Ireland, colcannon is served on special occasions along with ham or Irish bacon.
You can also serve this garlic colcannon with some corned beef and sauerkraut
Or pair it with some lime cilantro air chilled chicken or miso glazed cod from Sprouts – for a fusion meal.
With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, this garlic colcannon recipe is a comforting and budget-friendly addition to your Irish-themed meal.
I so love that Sprouts has everything I need to make a delicious and memorable St. Patrick’s Day meal at home.
You can find all the ingredients to make this dish (or any other traditional Irish dish you fancy) at your local Sprouts. And, if you are looking for corned beef and sauerkraut to enjoy with this garlic colcannon, Sprouts has you covered! If you want to stretch your culinary skills and add your own spin to this garlic colcannon, chances are that a walk-through Sprouts will have you inspired!
Ingredients
- 1 large potato or 2 small ones
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ head of cabbage
- 1 leek
- 2 green onions
- 2 kale leaves approximately ½ cup of kale leaves cut up
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- First off let’s start by boiling the potatoes in a large pan, until they are tender
(approx. 40 minutes). This is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. If
you are using two or three smaller potatoes, this should be quicker. - While the potato/potatoes are boiling, rinse and clean the leeks, green onions, and kale.
- Remove the leafy parts of the kale and discard the stalks.
- Discard any discolored leaves from the cabbage.
- Then chop up the cabbage, kale, leeks, and green onions.
- Also, peel and dice the garlic.
- When the potato/potatoes are done and fork-tender, remove from the pan from the heat and drain out the water.
- Then, using a fork, mash up the boiled potato. I left the skin on but feel free to
remove it if you prefer. - Then spoon the mashed potato onto a plate and set aside.
- Add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan and add in the garlic, leeks, cabbage, and kale and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add in the green onions and stir well.
- Remove pan from heat and add in the mashed potatoes. Stir well so mashed potato and greens are well incorporated.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon into a serving dish and add in the remaining tablespoon of butter and mix well.
- Enjoy this garlic colcannon with some chicken or fish.
Simple and filling..a perfect side dish!
Colcannon is such a great way to use up leftovers. This looks delicious. The more garlic the better I say.
Yesss. Will be making this with our corned beef next week for our little family St Patricks Day celebration
This is the perfect side dish! I love all the garlic too.
We especially love the leeks in this! The flavor is just out of this world delicious!
Love that this is a good Irish recipe just in time for St. Patrick’s day. Thank you for sharing with us!
I have never tried this but it looks amazing.
Ah! Colcannon has been on my list of things to make here at home for some time now. I originally tried it at an Irish pub, and I was instantly in comfort food heaven. I’m loving the lightened-up version that you came up with here, Shashi! Now I wouldn’t feel guilty serving this on a weeknight. (Usually we reserve weeknights for ‘healthier’ dishes and save our serious comfort food cravings for the weekends.) Either way, this is a great way to celebrate the arrival of warmer weather and St. Patrick’s Day!!