Colcannon Potato Cakes
What is Colcannon?
Colcannon is a classic Irish potato dish. It is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day with all the green ingredients added. However, it is such a wonderful comfort food, I like to cook it in the fall. Truthfully, it’s amazing year round. Irish historian Patrick Weston Joyce defined Colcannon as “potatoes mashed with butter and milk, with chopped up cabbage and pot herbs”. Nowadays, you might see Kale substituted for cabbage and sometimes scallions and/or spinach are added. An Irish Halloween (Samhain) tradition is to serve colcannon with a ring and a thimble hidden in the dish. Prizes of small coins such as threepenny or sixpenny bits were also concealed inside the dish.
Here is my twist. First, I turn the Colcannon into Colcannon Potato Cakes. They can be made as a side for ham, sausage or corned beef. My favorite is to make them as a side for eggs for a hearty, economical brunch or dinner.
To make this Colcannon Potato Cakes recipe, you will need:
Potatoes
Butter
Milk or Cream
Flour
Egg
Fresh Chives
Fresh Curly Parsley
Cabbage
Onion
Bacon
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Special Equipment: Potato Ricer
To make the potatoes: In a medium-large pot, boil the peeled, diced potatoes in salted water. Once cooked, pour the potatoes into a strainer to remove all the water. While still warm, push the cooked potatoes through a potato ricer and into a large bowl. Using a potato ricer will make the potato cakes crispy on the outside, but light and fluffy on the inside.
To the bowl, add the cubed butter, milk or cream, flour, beaten egg, chopped chives, and parsley. Mix well.
Fold in the cooked, drained diced cabbage, minced onion and cooked, diced bacon. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. Mixture should be firm. Adjust the milk/cream and flour as needed.
Refrigerate for 4 hours so the mixture becomes firm. Once your mixture is firm, you can press out the mixture to 1 inch thick and cut with a round cutter, like you would do for scones.
Coat the bottom of a large frying pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Sauté potato cakes on both sides, gently turning them as needed until golden brown. Serve immediately.
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Colcannon Potato Cakes
Fried potato cakes made from colcannon, a combination of mashed potatoes, cabbage, butter, milk or cream and herbs
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes, peeled, small dice
- 3 ounces butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup milk or cream
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh curly parsley
- 1/2 cup cabbage, cooked, drained, and small chop
- 1/4 cup onions, minced
- 1/2 cup bacon, cooked, drained and small dice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Directions
- Step 1 Potatoes: In a medium-large pot, boil the peeled, diced potatoes in salted water. Once cooked, pour the potatoes into a strainer to remove all the water. While still warm, push the cooked potatoes through a potato ricer and into a large bowl.
- Step 2 To the bowl, add the cubed butter, milk or cream, flour, beaten egg, chopped chives, and parsley. Mix well.
- Step 3 Fold in the cooked, drained diced cabbage, minced onion and cooked, diced bacon. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. Mixture should be firm. Adjust the milk/cream and flour as needed.
- Step 4 Refrigerate for 4 hours so the mixture becomes firm. Once your mixture is firm, you can press out the mixture to 1 inch thick and cut with a round cutter, like you would do for scones.
- Step 5 Coat the bottom of a large frying pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Sauté potato cakes on both sides, gently turning them as needed until golden brown. Serve immediately.
