One of my favorite breakfasts always includes potatoes. And of course, I’ve always said, “I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like.” I love them baked, boiled, mashed, stuffed. You name it. Mashed has always been at the top of the list though. I think because smooth-and-creamy is my go to comfort foods. Growing up, mashed potatoes were always covered in meat gravy or swimming in margarine. Rarely plain. But those days are far behind me. Irish mashed potatoes have become my new favorite. And no, I’m no Irish lassie.
But for centuries, the foundation of Irish cooking has been potatoes, cabbage and onions. And all three of these delicious vegetables come together in this Irish dish. And it’s got the added bonus of being terrific at reducing inflammation. If you know how to make mashed potatoes, it will be a breeze to join me in loving Colcannon or Irish Mashed Potatoes.
Colcannon
I start out with 2-3 pounds of potatoes. Russets or Yukon Golds are my favorite in this dish. Peeling is optional, though I usually do it. Then I cube them into small pieces. I have a Vidalia Chopper which makes this easy and quick but it’s still an easy job to cut them up with just a cutting board and knife. Put the potatoes in a medium to large pot; cover them with water and use a medium high heat. Boil the potatoes until tender, as you would in making traditional mashed potatoes. Drain the water and mash the potatoes coarsely. You want some texture in the potatoes. Add a little plant-based milk to make them creamy. Then you’re all set to add your colcannon seasonings–just salt and basil to taste and 1-2 teaspoons of dill. Parsley is another great herb if you don’t like dill. But for me, dill and potatoes just go together. And I like a little bit of the green for Irish potatoes. After seasoning, set them aside in a big bowl.
While the potatoes are cooking, you can prepare your cabbage. I usually use half a head of a medium cabbage. Any cabbage will do–green, red, or Napa. But I prefer the green variety. Core the cabbage and slice it into bite size pieces. Then add it to a vegetable steamer. Boil the water in the bottom of the pan, then add the cabbage to the top basket. Steam the cabbage until it is just beginning to become tender, definitely not mushy! Then you can remove the basket and add the cabbage to the mashed potatoes. Stir them together.
Then, cut up your medium onion. Saute’ in about ¼ cup of vegetable broth (more is okay too). Cook until onion is translucent. Then add to the colcannon. Mix it thoroughly. Put in a serving bowl and enjoy.
Top of the Morning Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds of potatoes
- half a head of medium cabbage
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1/4 cup of vegetable broth
- plant-based milk soy, almond
- 1-2 teaspoons dillweed opt.
- salt and basil to taste
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and cut into cubes
- Add potatoes to a medium to large pot, cover them with water. Cook on a medium-high heat, covered, until boiling. Boil til tender.
- Drain potatoes in a colander and add to a medium or large mixing bowl. Mash coarsely, allowing the potatoes to have some texture.
- Add some plant-based milk to make them creamy.
- Add your seasonings--salt, basil, and dillweed (if desired).
- Core your half head of cabbage; slice and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Steam the cabbage in the top basket of a vegetable steamer--steam til just beginning to become tender.
- Remove the basket and add the steamed cabbage to the mashed potatoes. Stir together.
- Cut the onion into small pieces. Saute in about 1/4 cup vegetable broth (add more if needed).
- Cook the onion until it is translucent. Then add to the colcannon. Mix in thoroughly.
- Put the colcannon into a serving dish and enjoy.
CHEF’S NOTE: You can adjust the amount of colcannon to suit your family’s needs: just cook twice as many potatoes as you have cabbage (i.e. 1 pound of potatoes with ½ pound of cabbage).
FOCUS ON POTATOES: Don’t worry about potatoes if you’re trying to lose weight. Potatoes are at the bottom of the Calorie Dense food list–coming in at only 1 calorie per gram. By comparison, sugar, cheese, and beef are about 4 calories per gram and vegetable oils are 9 calories per gram. As Dr. John McDougall writes, “The fat you eat is the fat your wear.” But potatoes are only1% fat – so there are virtually no fat calories to wear. By comparison beef and cheese can be 70% fat and butter is 100% fat.
