Colcannon -Mashed Potatoes Irish Style

My fresh produce from the farm last Saturday propelled me to go recipe trolling on the web to find a recipe to use the leeks that I bought. I was so happy when I stumbled upon the recipe for Colcannon - Irish mashed potatoes. Not only could I use my leeks, I could also use cabbage, kale, green onions and beet greens - all the things that you get from the farm! And the fact that it was mashed potatoes was just the icing on the cake. Who doesn’t like mashed potatoes? It was a hit with the kids and adults alike.

I found two recipes that I liked and ended up making my own version. Here is what I did - 

Ingredients 

5 medium potatoes 

2 leeks 

2 cups cabbage (appx.) 

1 cup milk 

3 Tbsp. butter (appx. or to taste) 

Himalayan pink salt - to taste

Black pepper - to taste

Handful of kale, beet greens and green onions (optional)

Method 

Peel, cut and boil potatoes in milk and a little water till soft and easily mashed.

Cook down the liquid in the pot till the potatoes are only slightly wet. (I don’t like draining the water as all the nutrients go down the drain with the water).  

Mash the potatoes in the pot to the consistency you like.  

Add butter, salt, pepper, leeks, cabbage and kale to the pot and cook till the vegetables are soft. 

Add the green onions and beets greens at the very end to maintain the crunch and not have the dish turn pink with the beet greens. 

Serve hot. 

Enjoy! 

Note - You can add more butter or cream or make it with vegan options. This recipe is very versatile. So make your mashed potatoes like you love them and add the vegetables. You will love the ‘more grown-up/more vegetable’ version. 

Here are links to the recipes I drew inspiration from 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/15644/colcannon/

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/colcannon/

Do try it. I am already getting requests to make it again. I don’t think I’ll be going back to regular mashed potatoes any time soon. 

-Neemun