My mom and I made colcannon for the first time for Imbolc dinner this year, and we were surprised by how much we love it! It is basically mashed potatoes with green onions and cooked cabbage, which didn’t really sound all that good if I am being honest. It is traditionally served with lots of pepper and (vegan) butter, however, which makes it fabulous! Colcannon has become become one of my new favorite recipes and I really hope you will give it a try! Here are the ingredients you need to make it:
You are going to have three things cooking at the same time, but will only need to stir the plant milk for most of that time. Fortunately, the potatoes and cabbage don’t need a lot of attention once they are cooking!
Add the unsweetened plant milk to a small saucepan. I use Silk Unsweetened Original Soymilk, and I love the creaminess it gives the recipe.
Slice the green onions and add them to the milk:
Place a hot pad on a large capacity kitchen scale, then zero the weight:
Put the saucepan with the milk and onions on the scale. Write down how much it weighs. Subtract 240 grams, then circle the answer. This is your target weight. (If you do not have a scale, you will have to estimate when the milk is reduced by half, and then measure it to check. I highly recommend that everyone get and use a digital kitchen scale.) My pan and milk weighed about 1,240 grams, so my target weight was 1,000 grams:
Heat the milk and onions over medium-low heat while stirring continuously, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer until the milk is reduced by half (and the pot reaches your target weight.)
Stir every few minutes while the milk is simmering. Remembering to stir it is the only tricky part of this recipe!
Peel and cut up your potatoes while the milk is simmering. Add them to a large saucepan and sprinkle the 1 TBS of salt on top. This is just to make the cooking water salty and very little will end up in your mashed potatoes:
Add enough water to cover the potatoes by at least half an inch, then cover the pan and bring the water to a boil:
While the milk is simmering, and while you are waiting for the potatoes to boil, chop up the cabbage into strips about 1 1/2″ long by 1/2″ wide:
Add the chopped cabbage to a medium-sized saucepan and add an inch of water to the bottom of the pan:
Cover the pan, and heat on medium-high until the water is boiling. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about three minutes. The cabbage should be softened, but not mushy. I like mine to still be a bit crunchy to give the colcannon some texture. (Remember to keep stirring the milk!)
Transfer the cooked cabbage to a colander to drain and set it aside for now:
Once the water with the potatoes is boiling, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes until your potatoes are fork tender. That means a fork should be able to easily pierce the potatoes with little resistance, but the potato pieces should still be holding their shape. (Remember to keep stirring the milk!)
Once the milk begins to cook down, turn your scale on with the hot pad in place (the scale should read zero with the pad on it), then place the pot on the hot pad and check the weight. Repeat every few minutes to see how close you are to the target weight. I was looking for 1,000 grams so this was ready. Your target weight will be different because your pot will not weigh exactly the same amount as mine does.
Once it has reached the target weight, add the vegan butter, salt, and pepper. I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread, but you can use another vegan butter if you can’t get Earth Balance where you live.
Stir until the butter melts, then set aside for now:
Remember to keep an eye on your potatoes! Once they are fork tender, drain them in a colander, then add them back to the pan. Cook for several more minutes to dry them out:
Add the dried potatoes to a large mixing bowl, and beat on high speed until smooth and fluffy:
Pour in the reduced milk and onion mixture, then stir together:
Add the cooked cabbage and stir again:
Serve the traditional way with lots of melted vegan butter and black pepper:
Enjoy!
Vegan Colcannon
This traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes with green onion and cabbage is delicious served with lots of melted vegan butter and black pepper!
Ingredients
- 480 g (2 c) Silk Unsweetened Soymilk (or another unsweetened plant milk)
- 100 g (about 8 large) Green Onions
- 3.5 lbs (about 9 medium) Russett Potatoes
- 19 g (1 TBS) Salt
- Water for Cooking
- 1.5 lbs (1 small head) Cabbage
- 56 g (4 TBS) Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance Spread)
- 4.8 g (3/4 tsp) Salt
- 0.6 g (1/4 tsp) Black Pepper
Instructions
-
Add the plant milk to a small saucepan, then slice the green onions and add them to the milk.
-
Place a hot pad on a large capacity kitchen scale, then zero the weight. Put the saucepan with the milk and onions on the scale. Write down how much it weighs. Subtract 240 grams, then circle the answer. This is your target weight. (If you do not have a scale, you will have to estimate when the milk is reduced by half, and then measure it to check. I highly recommend that everyone get and use a digital kitchen scale.) My pan and milk weighed about 1,240 grams, so my target weight was 1,000 grams.
-
Heat the milk and onions over medium-low heat while stirring continuously, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer until the milk is reduced by half (and the pot reaches your target weight.) Stir every few minutes while the milk is simmering. Remembering to stir it is the only tricky part of this recipe!
-
Peel and cut up your potatoes while the milk is simmering. Add them to a large saucepan and sprinkle the 1 TBS of salt on top. This is just to make the cooking water salty and very little will end up in your mashed potatoes. Add enough water to cover the potatoes by at least half an inch, then cover the pan and bring the water to a boil.
-
While the milk is simmering, and while you are waiting for the potatoes to boil, chop up the cabbage into strips about 1 1/2″ long by 1/2″ wide. Add the chopped cabbage to a medium-sized saucepan and add an inch of water to the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan, and heat on medium-high until the water is boiling. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about three minutes. The cabbage should be softened, but not mushy. I like mine to still be a bit crunchy to give the colcannon some texture. (Remember to keep stirring the milk!)
-
Transfer the cooked cabbage to a colander to drain and set it aside for now.
-
Once the water with the potatoes is boiling, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes until your potatoes are fork tender. That means a fork should be able to easily pierce the potatoes with little resistance, but the potato pieces should still be holding their shape. (Remember to keep stirring the milk!)
-
Once the milk begins to cook down, turn your scale on with the hot pad in place (the scale should read zero with the pad on it), then place the pot on the hot pad and check the weight. Repeat every few minutes to see how close you are to the target weight. I was looking for 1,000 grams so this was ready. Your target weight will be different because your pot will not weigh exactly the same amount as mine does. Once it has reached the target weight, add the vegan butter, salt, and pepper. Stir until the butter melts, then set aside for now.
-
Remember to keep an eye on your potatoes! Once they are fork tender, drain them in a colander, then add them back to the pan. Cook for several more minutes to dry them out. Add the dried potatoes to a large mixing bowl, and beat on high speed until smooth and fluffy.
-
Pour in the reduced milk and onion mixture, then stir together.
-
Add the cooked cabbage and stir again. Your colcannon is done, but may not be hot enough depending on if your reduced milk and cooked cabbage had cooled down too much. So, if needed, heat your colcannon in the microwave until piping hot.
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Serve the traditional way with lots of melted vegan butter and black pepper. Enjoy!
Have you ever tasted Miyoko’s vegan butter and had the opportunity to experiment with it in your recipes? If not, will you try it this year, possibly posting a product review? Same question regarding oat milk, commercial or homemade. If you have tried oat milk, can you share your opinion of how it compares to soymilk, especially in potato dishes, like this one?
Thank you.
I really want to try both! Trader Joe’s is supposed to have Miyoko’s butter, but mine doesn’t. I’ll have to see if Whole Foods has it next time I get to Columbus. You can use any vegan butter that you like the taste of in this recipe, and I’ll bet the Miyoko’s is great! I have looked at some recipes for oat milk, but haven’t tried making it yet. I have heard it is really creamy, so it would probably work well in potato dishes. I just looked up Oatly and their US products are gluten free! I will definitely give it a try if I can find it!
…I think the Whole Foods Market(s) in Columbus and Dublin carry Miyoko’s vegan butter…
Thanks! I’ll look for it next time I’m there!
Hi, I am new to soymilk. Is Silk your favorite brand, or is it used here because it’s a brand common in stores? I have read all brands of soymilk differ in taste.
Is it fine to use Yukon gold potatoes in this recipe, instead of russets? I do not mind using russets. I like the buttery flavor of golds.
Thank you!
Silk really is my favorite brand! I think it has the most mild flavor. Some soy milk brands have a pretty strong beany flavor, but Silk doesn’t. I always keep the Original, Vanilla, and Unsweetened versions on hand!
You should be able to use Yukon gold potatoes, but may need to add less milk as they tend to be wetter on the inside than russets.
To be honest, this sounds good to me. I have never made colcannon. I think it would be similar to other rustic mashed potato dishes I have made, where green onions and what not are stirred in. This is an easy recipe that I could make.
It’s perfect to serve on St. Patrick’s Day.
Colcannon really is delicious, Gus! I just ate a big plate for dinner tonight with lots of pepper and vegan butter! Just remember to keep stirring the milk, and the rest is super easy. It would be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!