Colcannon

To get our St. Patrick’s feast off on the right foot, Mary Ellen Mahan, local fitness motivator and library lover with deep Irish roots, opened her Irish family recipe box to share her Irish grandmother’s recipe for Colcannon. She’s sharing a quick and simple recipe you may use over and over for holiday feasts.

(Vegetarian Shephard’s Pie Recipe)

Let’s talk about Colcannon, a potato and cabbage dish traditionally served with boiled ham or Irish bacon. Mary Ellen offers a healthier spin on her mother’s recipe. After losing 150 pounds and motivating others get fit, she knows what’s what!

Mary Ellen embraced the humble (yet stereotypical Irish mainstay) potato on a recent trip to Ireland, seeing firsthand how families farm…Read more of my interview and the original Colcannon Recipe on Phoebe Savors Berks, Berks County Living Style column.

Colcannon

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

“My grandmother's original version called for a head of cabbage, and all other ingredients were ‘to taste.’ That leaves a lot of room for variation! “The traditional recipe calls for mashed potatoes and cabbage with cream, butter, salt, pepper and scallions. So of course, when scallions cost more than onions we had it with onions when I was younger. “My version uses skim milk, kale and leeks. I have relatives who also add chives. Again, it is a matter of taste.” - Mary Ellen Mahan

: Phoebe's Pure Food adapted from Mary Ellen Mahan

: irish, side, healthy

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1½ to 2 pounds cabbage
• ½ cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup non-fat milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 5 scallions, chopped and divided
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender, about 20-30 minutes; set aside.
2. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage, quarter, remove the core and slice the quarters into thin slices.
3. In a large pot bring water to a boil. Add the cabbage and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until tender and bright. Remove the cabbage, place in a strainer over a large bowl. Place a small plate over the cabbage and top with a few cans of soup, allowing the weight to remove excess water.
4. When the potatoes are soft drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the cream (yogurt), milk, butter and all but 3 tablespoons scallions.
5. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Do not use a ricer or electronic hand mixer. (Mother Mahan is very clear on this!)
6. Add the strained cabbage to the potato mixture and mash to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve with a sprinkle of the remaining scallions.

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