There are any number of versions for these “Irish” potatoes. Here is my take, I hope you like it. My Mom was a great one for add-ins to mashed potatoes. She liked to use veggies like carrots and turnips but I don’t think she thought of using cabbage, even though she liked cabbage, “Borscht” anyone? She had another trick too; she used canned milk and her mashed were damn good! The Colcannon is shown here with my “Irish” Lamb Chops (see below). To serve in the Irish way, make a well in the potatoes & put in a dollop of butter!
1 ¼ lbs. russet potatoes or Yukon golds (which we prefer in our house)
3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced (regular or savoy)
½ cup milk, scalded
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
3-4 Tbsp. finely chopped green onions
2-3 Tbsp. finely chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks and place them in a pot adding enough water to come 1/3 of the way up. Add ½ tsp. salt; cover and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium low and cook for 15 – 20 minutes until tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, set a steamer over boiling water; add the cabbage and steam for approximately 5 minutes, or until tender. (Alternatively, you can place the cabbage in a glass dish; add 2 Tbsp. water; cover and microwave in 1 minute increments until tender). Drain the potatoes in a colander, return to the pot; mash well; stir in 1/3 cup of the milk, butter, cabbage, salt & pepper, adding more milk if required.
To make the Lamb Chops, please click “Irish” Lamb Chops.
To see how to scald the milk in the microwave, click Microwave Scalded Milk.