Red Potato Colcannon

Red potato colcannon is the Irish country supper built on whatever came out of the garden that week. Red potatoes keep their skins on here, which is a break from tradition but gives the dish nice flecks of red through the mash and saves the nutrients that live just below the skin.

Steaming instead of boiling is the small move that changes everything. The potatoes never touch water, so the flavor stays concentrated and they do not turn waterlogged the way boiled spuds sometimes do. Meanwhile, thinly sliced cabbage and onion get browned in butter until the edges caramelize, then softened with a cup of milk until the cabbage turns sweet and sauce-like. Everything mashes together into the classic green-and-cream colcannon texture.

Chef Tips

• Steam potatoes cut to uniform size so they all finish at the same time. Odd chunks leave you with some mushy and some undercooked.
• Let the cabbage brown in a few spots before adding milk. Those caramelized edges add depth that pale, steamed cabbage can never match.
• Use white pepper instead of black here. It keeps the mash looking clean and has a softer, more floral heat suited to dairy dishes.
• Mash by hand with a potato masher, not a food processor. Processed potatoes turn into glue because the starch breaks down too far.

Variations

• Stir in crispy crumbled bacon or diced ham for a heartier version.
• Swap cabbage for kale for the more traditional Irish preparation.
• Melt a pat of butter into a well pressed into the center of the finished mash, Irish-style.