This traditional Irish recipe for mashed potatoes with fresh, green onion, buttery kale, and cheddar will complete your St. Patrick’s Day meal! Serve it with a hearty stew, corned beef hash, pot roast or bangers, and don’t forget a big slap of butter on top!
Colcannon with Kale
I made this recipe for my St. Patrick’s Day dinner this year, and as always, it was a huge hit! It’s creamy, but still textured with potato skins and kale, it’s cozy and comforting, and such a simple recipe with only 6 main ingredients!
I served it with a roasted rosemary cauliflower and fennel first course, and a thick, hearty lamb stew. For dessert, I made a salted whisky caramel bread pudding, topped with fresh cream that simply vanished from the plates! I also added a few little cute clovers punched out of basil.
Although Colcannon is commonly eaten in the US by Irish Americans on St. Patrick’s Day, it has been eaten, more traditionally, on Halloween in Ireland, a holiday of Celtic, Pagan origin.
The recipe was a “fortune-telling” dish, meaning something would be cooked into it, and whatever you pulled out told your fortune for the year ahead. Coins, rings, sticks, and even rags were baked into the potatoes to symbolize different events.
Now, it’s a side dish for all year ’round, especially St. Patrick’s Day for Irish Americans in the states, which no longer includes fortune-telling choking hazards… Ideally.
Ingredient Notes
yukon gold potatoes – I love gold potatoes for this recipe because they look so lovely gold and green, but you can substitute them with just about any kind of potato. However, if you substitute with a russet potato, just be sure to peel them first. You don’t need to peel Yukon gold, red, or purple potatoes.
heavy cream – Also called “double cream” in the UK. You can substitute with Half-and-Half or whole milk. Heavy cream just makes them the creamiest they can be.
green onions – Also called “spring onions.” You can substitute with thinly sliced white onion as well.
butter – Use a salted butter.
kale – Make sure to separate the leaves from the stems.
sharp cheddar – The “sharper” the better. Use an Irish cheddar or Dubliner cheese for a more traditional flavor.
How to Make Colcannon – Step by Step
1. Slice 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes into 6ths. This will help them boil faster.
2. Place them in a pot of cold water and boil until fork tender. About 20-30 minutes.
3. While potatoes boil, slice ½ cup green onions, making sure to use all of the white part, and some of the green.
4. Chop 4 cups of kale after removing the leaves from the stems. Discard the stems.
5. Grate 1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese.
6. In a sauté pan, add 4 tbsp. butter. Add sliced green onion and sauté for 3 minutes.
7. Add chopped kale, using a spatula or spoon to push and coat it in the butter while it wilts. You may have to add kale in 2 batches. Sauté for about 3 minutes more. Once wilted, turn off the heat.
8. Once the potatoes are ready, strain and return them to the pot. Add 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup shredded cheese. Mash ingredients together.
9. Once mashed, add wilted kale and green onions to the potatoes. Stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Optionally plop a nice big dollop of butter on top and serve.
A Few Notes
- If you like your potatoes extra creamy or cheesy, feel free to add ½ cup more cream or even a full cup more of cheese.
- You don’t need to peel Yukon gold potatoes, but if you substitute with russet potatoes, make sure to peel them first.
- This recipe will stay fresh in a sealed, refrigerated container for 3-4 days.
- To reheat, bake uncovered in a baking dish at 350 F. (175 C.) for 20 minutes.
Traditional Additions
If you want to add some more pizazz to your colcannon, here are a few traditional additions:
- Cabbage
- Leeks
- Chives
- Bacon
- Parsnips
- Garlic
- Carrots
For more inspiration, follow me on Instagram, on Pinterest, tiktok, and Facebook! And if you ever make any of my tasty drinks or treats, take a picture and tag me. I want to see!
What to Serve with This Recipe
Colcannon with Kale
Equipment
- 1 pot – large enough for 3 pounds of potatoes
- 1 cutting board and sharp knife
- 1 sauté pan
- 1 colander or strainer
- 1 spatula or mixing spoon
- 1 potato masher
- 1 cheese grater
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes – not peeled
- 4 cups kale – chopped
- 10 green onions – ½ cup sliced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sharp white cheddar – grated
- 4 tbsp. salted butter
- salt & pepper – to taste
Instructions
- Slice 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes into 6ths. Place them in a pot of cold water and boil until fork tender. About 20-30 minutes.
- While potatoes boil, slice ½ cup green onions, making sure to use all of the white part, and some of the green. Chop 4 cups of kale after removing the leaves from the stems. Discard the stems. Grate 1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese.
- In a sauté pan, add 4 tbsp. butter. Add sliced green onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add chopped kale, using a spatula or spoon to push and coat it in the butter while it wilts. You may have to add kale in 2 batches. Sauté for about 3 minutes more. Once wilted, turn off the heat.
- Once the potatoes are ready, strain and return them to the pot. Add 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup shredded cheese. Mash ingredients together. Once mashed, add wilted kale and green onions to the potatoes. Stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Optionally plop a nice big dollop of butter on top and serve.
Leave a Reply