Colcannon

Silky mashed potatoes folded with tender kale or cabbage, spring onions, and a generous puddle of melting butter.

⏱ 20 minPrep time
🔥 25 minCook time
🍽 6Servings
🏷 British / Irish KitchenCategory
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Silky mashed potatoes folded with tender kale or cabbage, spring onions, and a generous puddle of melting butter. It’s Ireland’s most comforting side dish, pale gold and flecked with green, with a flavor that’s pure, mellow, and deeply homey.

Colcannon is a traditional Halloween dish in Ireland, sometimes hiding a coin or ring within for luck. Serve it steaming hot beside corned beef, roast chicken, or simply on its own with extra butter melting into the center.

Step by stepInstructions

  1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until very tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain well and return to the pot over low heat for a minute to dry out.
  2. Meanwhile, simmer the kale in a little salted water until tender, about 5 minutes; drain, squeeze dry, and chop finely.
  3. Warm the milk with 4 tbsp butter and the scallions in a small saucepan until the butter melts.
  4. Mash the potatoes, then beat in the warm milk mixture until fluffy. Fold in the kale and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
  5. Pile into a warm bowl, make a well in the center, and drop in the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Serve at once.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Dry the potatoes well before mashing — excess water makes colcannon gluey. Make a well in the top and let the butter pool there, the traditional way.

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Recipe details

Prep20 min
Cook25 min
Servings6
CategoryBritish / Irish Kitchen
PublishedAugust 17, 2026
Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →