This is a recipe from County Mayo. It is traditional Halloween fare but good anytime! Kale can be substituted for cabbage.

Colcannon

cabbage

potatoes

leeks leeks

milk

salt and pepper

mace

butter

In a large saucepan, boil cabbage until tender; remove and chop or blend well. Set aside and keep warm. Boil potatoes until tender. Remove from heat and drain.


Chop  leeks, green parts as well as white, and simmer them in just enough milk to cover, until they are soft.


Season and mash  potatoes well. Stir in cooked leeks and milk. Blend in the kale or cabbage and heat until the whole is a pale green fluff. Make a well in the center and pour in the melted butter. Mix well.


I saw this recipe featured on St. Patty's Day and saved it. I just now made it and am sorry that I didn't make it earlier. I used kale instead of broccoli only because I had kale in the fridge and also wanted the dish to turn out greener in color. Yum! The flavors of the leeks, potatoes and kale together along with the little bit of ground mace was delicious. Just be careful on how much mace you put into this dish because it can overwhelm the other flavors. The recipe says a pinch and it means a pinch. I always tend to go heavier on herbs and spices, but not on mace because it's strong. The overall appearance is exactly as photographed and is a crowd pleaser. I really enjoyed Colcannon.

This is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods.  The only addition I have made is to use half and half instead of milk for added richness.
This is wonderful with Roast chicken and I have done it for 200 guests at a fundraiser paired with roast pork loin.

I prefer to shred and saute the cabbage.  I use green onions instead of leeks.  We often have this for St Patrick's Day.  For New Year's day we have this with ham steaks as ham and cabbage are supposed to be good luck. pats

Terrific stuff.  Prefer to steam  potatoes instead of boiling.  Just eyeballed ingredients but probably used only 1/4 cup butter.  Garnished with a bit of crumbled bacon and fresh chives.  Next time I'll be sure to remove the rib parts of the cabbage and chop more finely.  Definitely use the leeks!

I agree with PATS1942 in that I saute the cabbage in butter, but I also saute the leeks, too.  You can never have too much butter in potatoes, as far as I'm concerned.  My family loves colcannon.  I serve it with stew over it.  The stew always has Guinness stout in it, too!

Excellent Colcannon recipe! The best I have found. Highly reccommended.

I used salt pork to simmer the cabbage, and fried up some bacon, may not be the healthiest...but TOTAL comfort food!!!!

Yum! I made this for a potluck dinner party at my boss's house. It was a huge success. I used Yukon gold potatoes, which I cut in chunks, boiled and then cooled and peeled. The skins came right off with my fingers - much easier than peeling the raw potato. I think Yukons are best for mashed potatoes - not too waxy and not too dry. 

I sliced the cabbage and leeks into roughly 1/2 by 1 inch pieces, separating the layers as I put them in a dutch oven.  Some people suggested sauteing the cabbage and leeks in butter, but I think that would have made the dish to greasy.  Instead, I cooked the cabbage and the leeks together with enough Half &amp; Half to cover over very, very low heat, so it wouldn't scorch and ruin the whole thing. This probably took an hour, stirring about every 10 min. I set the timer on the stove, and it just about coordinates with the frequency of commercials on TV! When they were tender, I poured off the H&amp;H to use later and thoroughly drained the cabbage and leeks in a colander. Then I rough mashed everything together with a hand masher, adding the leftover H&amp;H as needed. In this dish, I like the potatoes to be a little chunky, so they stand up to the cabbage and leeks.

As the finishing touch, I sprang for Irish butter (Kerrygold)- much creamier and authentic. I made this the night before and then warmed it up for a couple of hours and served from my crock pot. 

Finally, I am going to blend the left overs with some of the left over H&amp;H to make a potato soup!

I prefer to saute the cabbage in butter to boiling it.

I had this for the first time in Dublin 12/07 and it was so good there I had to find a recipe to make it here.  I changed/added a few things.I used  1/2 pound of kale, 1 cup of buttermilk and fresh garlic.  Saute the kale,leeks,and garlic in the butter (add about a teaspoon or so of olive oil so butter doesn't burn)until soft and add to potatoes.  I added the buttermilk right to the potato mixture.  It was so good...
thank you for the recipe it was great!!!

This stuff is good! I did use white onion because I didn't have leeks. I also substituted nutmeg for mace like another reviewer did. Great!!! 

I loved the "clean" taste of this chowder with no meat base.  I did make a few changes because it was almost too thick to eat as directed by the original recipe.  I used 1.5 cups Half and Half, and 1 cup milk to soften the leeks, then add to the base; and I added 2 tsp salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a lot (1/4 tsp?) of freshly ground nutmeg.  Also I hand-chopped everything rather than use a processor or blender so that the vegetable pieces would be big enough to add tactile interest and a variety of colors. Incidentally, after the cabbage was cooked it was a breeze to chop!  All together the dish took about 40 minutes to prepare, and serves 6 - 8.  It was wonderful immediately, but fantastic the next day!

I love colcannon, so when I received leeks and cabbage in my CSA box I thought I'd give it a try. I thought this recipe needed a little something to get my husband to eat it, so I also added cooked bacon.  I substituted mace with nutmeg.  It tasted great and I froze it in two portions for a freezer-meal side.  Reheated great in the oven.

Excellent Irish dish.  I left out the butter &amp; milk, and instead boiled everything in the same vegetable broth.  I then added a whole head of roasted garlic for extra flavor.  Will definitely make again.

I was a bit scared of this, because although I had heard it was great and was very curious, it just seemed odd.  Slimey cabbage mucking up mashed potatoes?    However, I had nothing to fear, it was delicious.  I used red cabbage as I had it on hand, and wow!  The colors were crazy the night I made it, leftover seemed to intensify! (I'll try and post a photo.)  Anyway, it's a flexible recipe, and I'm sure I'll be using it again and again.

A nice alternative to saurkraut or fried potatoes with corned beef or open-faced roast beef sandwiches

Great basic recipe--a hit with the Celtic Society I belong to... I prefer more potatoes as other reviewers mentioned. I use 1 cup sour cream instead of milk and add 1 t. of garlic powder. Sometimes I soften the cabbage in bacon grease and add crumbled bacon. It lends itself well to playing with the ingredients a bit. 

Delicious recipe, even my six year old ate a big bowl. I veganized this recipe for myself. I boiled the cabbage and potatoes in broth and and then used plain soy milk for the leeks. I mixed in some margarine (earth balance) with the potatoes before I added the rest of the ingredients. Don't forget the mace. When I initially tasted it after adding the veggies I thought it needed something and was considering adding garlic, when I realized I'd forgotten the mace. I put a pinch in and was surprised to find  it was perfect after that. Somehow it adds just the right edge to the dish. I mixed in some butter when I gave it my kids and  it went over very well. The next morning I mixed in some eggs and fried it up for my husband and he said it was yummy, so this is a pretty versatile dish. I think I'm going to try using Kale next time and see how that it is. All in all a great recipe for St. Paddy's day!   

This is literally a magical recipe!!! Truly heaven!!! I know the mix of ingredients sound different but believe me, it is out of this world to be certain!!!  I have friends who tell me they dream about eating this dish at night and crave it all the time.  Its so unusual, so versatile, so satisfying!!  I served Irish Stout beef stew with this but you could serve roast chicken, pork tenderloin, I've even served chili with this!!!  The possibilities are endless and oh so delicious so definitely give this one a try, and be sure to keep a few copies handy if you serve it to friends bc they ARE going to beg you for the recipe!!!

I didn't expect to like it and only made it because I got a head of cabbage and some leeks in my CSA box. I thought since I was making "Sheperd's Pie" I'd made it with colcannon instead of just mashed potatoes. I chopped the cabbage and steamed it with salt, boiled the potatoes with salt then drained each and mixed them together while the leeks were simmering. I used a little more than a cup of milk because the leeks needed it to cover them. I then mixed it all together and kept it warm in the oven while I made the "cream corn like no other' recipe from here for the middle layer. Then I layered it all and even my picky son ate it w/o protest! Will definitely make again and invite some Emerald Isle friends over in March for a Sheperd's Pie with colcannon.

I stumbled upon this recipe by accident and was shocked cause this has been a family recipe that's been passed down through generations, had no idea anyone else did it!  Love this!  If you don't like cabbage, don't worry... nobody in my family does but me, and people go back for three and four servings of this.

Because of dairy allergies I substitute chicken broth for the milk and butter. Still just as good. I usually leave out the leeks too.

Delicious combination. I made a couple of changes- used 1/2 cup of light sour cream instead of butter, and skipped the mace. However, I boiled the potatoes in the water that my corned beef was in, so they were flavored with all of those spices. The leeks REALLY made the flavor here.

This recipe is really flexible about ingredients, and when I whipped mine up in the food processor, it was a perfect velvety fluff. Divine! Still, this is not meant to be a main dish, and I could see a fantastic mushroom gravy to spruce it up.

Delightfully simple and tasty -- I used kale instead of cabbage for more flavor. Took this to a work luncheon for St. Patrick's Day and it was a hit! I'll definitely be making it again with extra kale.

I like colcannon, and I liked this recipe, though I by far prefer the batch I made with kale - both visually, texture-wise, and taste-wise.  A touch of garlic and a parsley garnish seemed a nice touch for me.

Edit: I interpreted "Blend in kale..." as "Stir in kale".  It looks more attractive and has more texture if you do it this way.

Very tasty, but use less milk than the recipe calls for.  I also added garlic and sauteed the leeks and cabbage rather than boiling.  I think this would be delicious with a little bacon, but I made this for a work potluck and wanted to be considerate of vegetarians.  Next time, I'll try it with kale for more color and character than the cabbage.  For those who are wondering, mace is the outer coating of nutmeg, which is why they have similar flavors (mace is the flavoring in doughnuts).    This is a very nice alternative to regular mashed potatoes!

I am so in love with this dish! I prepare these for St. Patty's Day every year.  I do not boil my cabbage!! I chop bacon and fry it crispy then saute the chopped/shredded cabbage in the grease, with s&amp;p till golden brown. I add the bacon to my colcannon... OH MY! Sometimes I put my finished product under a broiler to let the tops of the potatoes get toasty. Then I made a well in the center of each persons serving and filled it with a spoonful of melted herb butter.

Excellent recipe.  I added a bit more of the leeks and cooked the cabbage much longer, but it was deliciousl. A wonderful alternative for potatoes.

My hubby loved this, me -- not so much.  Two leeks were too much; the amount of milk to cover them was enormous and if I'd put all that in the potatoes they would have been soupy.  I only put in a small part and they were still wayyyyy too runny for me.  I did like the cabbage and leek combo, but I ended up adding some sour cream and garlic powder to help the flavor.  I may tweak this recipe a little and try it again.

I make it using cauliflower instead of potatoes to reduce carbs for diabetics in the house.  Yummy!

I used the leeks, about four golden potatoes (which is maybe more than a pound) and substituted 1/2 &amp; 1/2 for the milk. This recipe was PERFECT! My family absolutely loved it and I will definitely make it again. We do have a few leftovers from St. Patrick's Day but I'm going to use them to make a kind of boxty. Yum! Great recipe!!

Loved this!  I had never even heard of Colcannon before and was just randomly searching AR for some cabbage recipes.  I just eyeballed the amount of potatoes and cabbage, and think I need more cabbage next time.  Following a few others' suggestions, I did add approximately 1 teas. garlic powder (will use fresh, roasted garlic next time) and was generous with the salt and pepper.  I didn't have enough milk on hand but had some sour cream leftover, so I did 1/2 c milk and 1/2 sour cream (I've always loved sour cream on baked potatoes).  Worked just fine and gave it a nice richness! Definitely making this again soon - Thanks for opening my eyes, Marc!

This was a really nice dish -- creamy and delicious. It was nice to make this with corned beef and carrots... I could make this separately and still have room for the meat in crock pot! Even the picky eaters liked it.

This was pretty good. Made with cabbage and served with sausage. Will definitely make again.

Excellent. Definitely need to try it with kale next time.

Oh my!  Made this for a large easter party and everyone raved about it.  A little time consuming but more then well worth it!  My tip:  season the water the well that you boil your leeks and potatoes.  Enjoy!

Oh, soooooo good. Great St. Patty's day side.

I'm not sure how to rate this recipe since I had never heard of it and don't know how it should taste.  It was a hit and non-cabbage fans said that the cabbage did not overwhelm.  I can't say that I had a "green fluff" as described.  Maybe my cabbage was not shredded enough.  I also thought it seemed a little runny but I am comparing it to mashed potatoes and don't really know what the consistency should be.  Either way, I would make it again for an Irish meal.

Superb recipe! We doubled it to ensure leftovers. This was mouthwatering. Great with corned beef!

Just Fantastic! I used Leeks and Cabbage and skipped the mace....I didn't miss it! It was an upgraded mashed potatoes. I didn't know that was possible, thank you!

Came out a little wetter than I liked.  I'll use half a cup of milk to cook the leeks (or onions) next time, and add more milk only if the mixture needs it.

With all of the milk, this would be an excellent base for a cassarole with sausages on top.

I have to admit I was afraid to add the mace after smelling it but the recipe turned out great without it.  We love these potatoes and eat them all the time now.  Thanks for the great dish!

Beautiful color. I think I will try more potatoes &amp; fewer leeks next round. The only flavor that was coming through was onion. I dumped in sour cream afterwards to smoothe out the taste.

I practically raised my kids on this.  This was and still is a great way to entice them to eat cabbage.  And it's delicious too!

It is not often I eat something that is so good that I think about it constantly the rest of the day... this is one of those dishes... the ultimate in comfort food... the ingredients combined are so much better than any one of them alone... sublime. 

Wonderful alternative to plain mash potatoes!  The cabbage and leeks added great flavor.

Though I'm not sure what this should have tasted like, I liked what I ended up with.  I doubled the potatoes, cut the butter in half, didn't use any of the milk the leeks were boiled in and pureed the cooked cabbage in my food processor to make a thicker mashed potato-like dish.  My picky hubby kept coming into the kitchen to see my "3-pot potatoes", worrying that it was green and wondering what the leeks were.  But, to my suprize and his, he liked them too!  I think a little garlic would have made them even better and may add some when I do this for real (this was a trial run) for a St. Patty's day potluck later this month.  Thanks for the recipe!

Fantastic! Can't wait to make this in the fall with fresh from the garden produce.

Tasted wonderful!! Also an easy way to get picky eaters to eat cabbage. My 12 year old loves mashed potatoes, so this was a winner!!

This was alright.  I would have actually given it three stars except it was my error that took it down a notch.  I found it to be a little too liquidy for my tastes but that will be easily fixed on the next round by not adding all of the milk or addining more potatoes.  The flavor was fine but even better the second day.

I've never had Colcannon before so I have no idea what this was supposed to taste like. Also, I think I used too much milk. I cut up 2 leeks, and simmered them in the milk but I didn't add the entirety of the leeks to the mashed potatoes b/c I think it would have been overwhelming. The milk had plenty of leek flavor to it. I will definitely try Colcannon again (to eat, not make), but it was a bit too much work for mashed potatoes that tasted kinda 'meh'

This is a good Irish recipe for any time of year, but goes over especially well in the winter.  It is hearty and filling with lots of fiber, too.  People that won't eat cabbage but will eat potatoes may even like this!

Very very good.  I learned a lot about leeks today. Number one is to wash well-easier to chop first, then rinse the grit away. Some people won't go into the green at all, other use it all; others halfway, and still talked to another who uses it all but the top quarter of the leaves. I used halfway up the green only bc it seemed like a TON of leeks vs. cabbage/potato ratio, but after sauteeing the cabbage and leeks they reduced down quite a bit and the whole dish turned out wonderful.

I thought this was tasty...  I did a few things different as others suggested.. I sauted the cabbage is small amount butter...which seem to give it a little extra zing... served it with famous pork chops  from thiis site.. will make again, thanks for the post!

I make this a lot. I omit the mace, and purée the leeks with the milk. Lately I've been using half the amount of butter called for -- once I even forgot to put it in altogether, and it was still good.

This was surprisingly good.  I was a little nervous about putting cabage and potatoes together, but it works.  I simmered the cabbage  and leeks in milk and then put the milk and cabbbage in the blender and pureed it.  Then I added it to the mashed potatoes and it turned out as a green fluff.  I let everyone add the butter, salt and peper to taste.  I actually added salt to this for my portion, which almost never happens, and it really improved the taste.  My two-year-old liked her "green potatoes" and even her vegie-hating father ate seconds and said he could eat it atleast once a year. ;)

I used about 2.5 lbs potatoes and only 1 leek which was more than enough. I also added 4 or 5 strips of crisply fried and crumbled bacon.  Served with corned beef for St. Patty's day.  Thanks

My hubby loved the cabbage/bacon mixture so much, he was disappointed I added it to the potatoes! I had to put the pan in the oven to stop him from eating the mix before I could get the stuff to the table! Seeing the beautiful Irish butter melting in the middle made me forget my diet completely!

This dish is "wonderful" I was questionable about it at first with the ratio of cabbage to potatoes and the potatoes being so thin.. but hey it came out fantastic!  yummmm  I'll deffinately be making it again. suggestion top with thinly sliced scallions or leeks for presentation

This was very good. Had just returned from the hospital, was feeling tired so I used only things I had on hand. To make it easy I actually used instant mashed potatoes and a bag of shredded cabbage that I cooked until soft. Sauted some green onions in butter and mixed all together. Surprisingly delicious and fast.

Delish!  I used Yukon Golds so my potatoes weren't as fluffy but I loved the texture and the taste.  Was going to use onion so I didn't have to go out and buy leeks, but boy am I glad I made the extra effort, very tasty!

I made this for our St.Patricks day dinner.
My son, who hates cabbage, loved this dish.
I really thought the flavors blended so well together.
I have been interested in trying something using Leeks. I was very pleased!

I have been making this for years. I found this recipe and I like it so much more!

This was a great recipe--the leeks taste great in it! I didn't use all of the green parts of the leeks because I was making this late at night for a potluck the next day and I didn't want to wait for the thick parts of the leeks to soften enough to be edible. I just added some extra cabbage instead and it was delicious! I'd recommend using big cracked pepper to season this.

This was pretty good. It's kind of a strange combination of veggies but it works. It is very time consuming. I'm glad I used light butter.

Used more than a pound of russets; closer to 2, probably. Outstanding. Even better reheated the next day.

This is the most delicious mashed potato ever!  Goodbye Cowboy mashed potatoes...hello Colcannon!

I make this as a main dish for dinner all the time and my kids love it! I like to fry some bacon on the side (extra crispy) and crumble it over each serving. Too good!

So, we didn't use real potatoes because I had some poor planning. We used potato pearls. Still, it wasn't bad. WE liked it quite a bit actually. I would add more cabbage and leeks next time because I didn't put in quite as much as the recipe called for. It was a hit for St. Patty's Day and we had fun with it.

It's a nice twist to regular plain mashed potatoes!  We enjoyed it.

Pleasantly surprised by this tasty recipe!  Never had Colcannon before so didn't know what to expect.  Super-easy to make and even my tobasco-loving / cabbage-hating husband liked it!  I used nutmeg, as others did, because I did not have mace.  I used 1/2 tsp and tasted perfect.  Also used green onions (about 4) as I couldn't find leeks, and was fine.  The butter really makes it in my opinion, so load it on!  Surprisingly filling.  Went excellent with thick homemade wheat bread &amp; made a meal.

This was very good...... used half and half instead of milk. Don't forget the salt:-)

Delicious!  Served it as the vessel for Lamb stew and it was perfect!

very good. make sure to chop cabbage into fairly small pieces, mine turned out a little too chunky, but it tasted fabulous, was something different, and I will be making it again.

I'm not sure if leeks are a different size in Ireland, but I picked two of the smallest they had at our grocery store and there was still about twice as much as should ever be in the recipe. Unless the Irish have a much stronger desire to taste onion than we do. Anyhow, aside from the almost overwhelmingly strong onion flavor from the leeks, it was quite tasty. We added some bacon and cheddar, of which I think the bacon really made it taste a lot better. And of course, cheese is always great.

I love it, either as a side dish or as the top layer of a shepherd’s pie.

I only used 1 leek, and it took over 4 cups of milk to cover it to simmer.  I don't know if my leek was huge compared to the ones the recipe author used, but it was the same size as all the other ones in the grocery store. So, I had to waste a lot of milk by simmmering the leek in a ton of milk and then draining it off so the the end product wasn't a milk soup. Also, I think the recipe needs more than just a pinch of mace.

Added this dish to my St. Patrick's Day dinner.  Loved by family and guests.  As suggested by someone else, I fried cabbage in bacon grease and garnished with bacon bits.  Also boiled potatoes and Leeks in milk.  Gave a much richer flavor.  Will make again.

I had never made colcannon before.  It's delicious.  I did take some liberties with this recipe because my computer died before I could print out the recipe, so I was relying on my memory and tried to incorporate some of the suggestions previous reviewers made.  I sauteed the cabbage in about 2 Tbsp. butter with two slices of country bacon.  I added a heavy pinch of salt to the leek and milk mixture.  I pureed everything together quickly at the end in a food processor (be careful not to over mix, because this will make it a pasty consistency).  I only added about 1/4 cup of butter at the end, as well as salt to taste.  I also took the two slices of country bacon that I used to flavor the cabbage, cut them into a small dice and crisped them up in a frying pan and sprinkled them on top.  The flavors were deep, rich, sweet and salty.  It was wonderful.

Love this stuff!  I make it every St. P Day and my husband wishes I would make it more often.  The first time I used green onions instead of leeks; the second time following the recipe.  We preferred the green onions for more flavor.

I made this for St. Patrick's Day dinner.  My husband wasn't so sure about this and after he tasted it, he said it was a "keeper".  
The only chnage I made was I sauteed the sliced cabbage and some of the leeks in bacon grease for flavor.  I also used my hand held blender to blend the leeks and milk together.  
I will definitely be making this again SOON!.

This was a HIT! I made it for St. Paddy's Day. I mage it green with food coloring. I will make it every year!

I was a little unsure of this recipe when I first read about it, but after trying it I have made a regular meal on our menu.  This recipe was quick and easy, not to mention tasty.

Loved this. Made just as is. Served with black eyed peas for New Year's and Irish soda bread.  We loved the addition of the leeks. This was the first time my Irish hubby has had the dish and he's hooked!

I just finished cooking this and the taste is fine but it is quite runny. I went with the exact messurements and weight but it seems to be too much milk. Next time I'll add 1-2 more potatoes or less milk. Other then that it very tasty.

good way to hide veggies in your mashed potatoes i guess... but otherwise tastes like mashed potatoes with a lot more work.
i didn't hvae leeks so used three big green onions.  sauteed in butter and garlic before mixing in.  used salad savoy because that's what i had.  nice color and will eat, but... not sure what this adds?

This tasted great and was pretty too!  I reheated it for lunch the next day and seemed even better.

Made this for St. Patty's day gathering for the first time. Actually the first time I ever heard of colcannon. Delicious and pretty. I used half cabbage and half kale. First time I ever used kale too. Thanks fr a great recipe. Got rave reviews.

Recipes was easy and delicious!  I sauted my cabbage and leeks in a little olive oil while the potatoes boiled.  Added all ingredients when I mashed with milk and butter.  Enjoyed this, something different.  Like the leeks in this, didn't overpower the potatoes and cabbage.

I made this last year for St. Patricks Day for my non-Irish husband...he loved them!  It was excellent!

Fun for St. Patrick's day with ham and asparagus- and healthier than plain mashed potatoes!

I really liked this.  I love having the substance of mashed potatoes w/ the health of the greens.  Obvious, not a health food but feels a little better than a big pile of potatoes and butter!

Delicious...I looked at several recipes and decided this looked best for what I had on hand.  I had less potatoes than called for and also added a bit of nutmeg but boy was this great!  I also didn't have the onion so used some chopped green onion toward the end of the cooking.  My first time to try colcannon...and...definitely going to be making this again.  Thank you for a keeper!

I do not like cabbage so I was thrilled to find this recipe - I loved it! It's a nice way to sneak in some extra veggies.  De-lish!

colcannon

Servings: 5

Cost: $5.39 /serving

Author : Allrecipes

Ingredients

Instructions

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