Side dish

Creamy Colcannon with Kale and Bacon

Creamy mashed potato with butter, cream, crispy bacon and kale to make the BEST colcannon. Perfect for a St Patrick's Day dinner

To recipe
creamy colcannon with kale and bacon
Recipe insights & TIPS

Creamy mashed potato is laced with butter, cream, crispy bacon and kale to make the BEST colcannon you'll ever taste. Perfect for a St Patrick's Day dinner

Colcannon on a plate with a spoon

Today's recipe comes at warp speed to you with not one, but two vegetables and a protein! I know, you're thinking that sounds really healthy Gerry, thanks. But while kale is one of the veggies, the other is a potato and the protein is pan-fried bacon. The Irish dish, Colcannon isn't trying to be healthy.

As a food blogger, I'm always checking off the seasons and special holidays throughout the year. As soon as one passes, another is right there waiting. Valentine's Day just passed, so let's make some space for St Patrick's Day with and tasty snacks like my  Guinness Battered Onion Rings and cheesy Irish Soda Bread.

what is colcannon?

Colcannon is a traditional Irish side dish usually made up of mashed potatoes, bacon and kale or cabbage, as well as lots of butter and cream. It makes a perfect side dish for corned beef.

How to make creamy colcannon

1. Preparing the Colcannon mixture. Once your potatoes have boiled, drain the post and transfer them to a bowl. You can use the same pot to cook the chopped kale until it becomes soft. Mash the potatoes and add back into the pot with the cooked kale and chopped bacon.

2. Cooking the Colcannon. Transfer the potatoes to a pan and cook over a medium heat moving the mixture around every 3-4 minutes. The goal is to brown the potatoes on the bottom and create those tasty crispy bits throughout the Colcannon.

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Recipe

Creamy mashed potatoes with butter, kale and crispy bacon. This is the perfect traditional Irish Colcannon dish for your St Patrick's Day dinner.

Course:
Side dish
COOKing TIME:
15 minutes
Total TIME:
35 minutes
CUISINE:
American
PREP TIME:
20 minutes
SERVINGS:
4

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds white potatoes, scrubbed
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
  • 2 tbsp salted butter
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 4-5 cups roughly chopped kale leaves washed and stalks and center vein trimmed, chop the leaves into thin strips
  • ½ cup heavy cream 5.3oz
  • Sea salt and black pepper

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they can be easily pierced with a sharp knife, Drain and set aside
  2. While the potatoes are cooking, chop the bacon into dice and cook in a pan until crispy. Chop into small pieces.
  3. In the same pot as the potatoes, add the butter and melt.
  4. Add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
  5. Add the chopped kale and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  6. Mash the potatoes and add them to the cooked kale.
  7. Add the chopped bacon and cream
  8. Mix well to combine.
  9. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
  10. Transfer the Colcannon to a large pan over a medium-high heat.
  11. Flatten the potatoes out in the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
  12. Gently mix the potatoes through making sure to et the brown bits from the bottom come to the top. Repeat this until you potatoes have lots of crispy burnt pieces from the bottom of the pan.
  13. Serve at once with a pat of butter on top and some sea salt.
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