Dianes Colcannon I Made It Ii

Dianes Colcannon

Cosmicmother 5 years ago
~Made for the Irish Challenge, March 2019~

Dianes Colcannon by Valoriest

We thought there was a lot more cabbage than there was potato. And I didn't use a whole half head either, between a 1/4-1/2 of a head. I'm not sure if mine was a small head of cabbage, they all looked around the same size at the store. I've seen other Colcannon recipes that call for cups of chopped cabbage, so perhaps 2 cups of chopped cabbage would be more reasonable for the 2.5lb potatoes (I weighed my potatoes, 6 medium to small russets). I also found the cook time of the cabbage and onions to be longer than I imagined--the recipe doesn't give an approx. time--- so my potatoes were mashed and ready to go before the cabbage cooked down, just keep that in mind when starting the recipe. Next time I would start cooking the cabbage down while chopping the potatoes for instance.
I didn't use all the butter, there was enough bacon grease and moisture from the cabbage mixture that you don't really need it.
In the recipe photo they use Kale instead of cabbage and I think I'd like to try that next time. To get that green colour I added a few green onions.
I love the flavor!! And it went perfectly with our corned beef dinner. Making it next time I would only use 2 cups of chopped cabbage, start cooking the cabbage down before starting the potatoes and reduce or leave out the butter--best to serve the butter on the side. :)
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eastcoaster 5 years ago said:

Oh YUM!!!! Shona, that looks delicious. Those photos are beautiful, and the food with the peas and carrots makes my mouth water.
Thank you for the tips on how you did this recipe.

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Ladybug_MrsJ 5 years ago said:

Yum! I love colcannon! We eat so many variations of this! What I usually do is cook my potatoes in a 6 L pot with a universal steamer insert in the top for the other veggie (kale or cabbage usually). I just remove the steamer when the veggie is cooked (the time is so variable) and rewarm them by stirring them into the hot mashed potatoes when those are ready. I also like to throw in a few cloves of garlic with the potatoes. This is a staple in our home. Another favorite is potatoes mashed with turnip and/or parsnips. Yum! I find the red potatoes work best (don't absorb as much water). Sometimes I just load the potatoes with herbs such as parsley or chives. There are so many variations! ;)

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Cosmicmother 5 years ago said:

Thanks Manella! You can have a seat at my table and join in! ;)

Thanks Mrs.J! I never thought to steam the cabbage over the potatoes, wonderful idea!! Funny, I really wanted to throw in a couple cloves of garlic, I think that would be awesome in this! I even have parsnips in my crisper and love that in mash too, especially with fresh thyme or rosemary. Great tip on the red potatoes! I used russet potatoes and it was a little mushy and greasy---next time I'll try it with red. :D

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Ladybug_MrsJ 5 years ago said:

Well, I leaned to love garlic and potatoes together thanks to WestCoastMom on Allrecipes! :D ;) !

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Cosmicmother 5 years ago said:

;)

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LindaLMT 5 years ago said:

Fantastic photos Shona. Heads of cabbage vary so much in size it is hard to conclude what is a small head. I guess you just have to use good judgement. I like the idea of using kale, maybe a combination of it with the cabbage to bring on that "Green".

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Cosmicmother 5 years ago said:

Thanks Linda!
I love the color the Kale brings in the recipe photo. :)

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mommyluvs2cook 5 years ago said:

I love reading your reviews Shona, so detailed and really helpful for someone wanting to make them after you :) This looks good!! It's always hard to know how much cabbage your going to end up with since it cooks down so much, and also to know what a small or large head of cabbage is to the recipe submitter. Your plate of food looks SO GOOD!!!

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Cosmicmother 5 years ago said:

Thanks Michelle! :)
When I write reviews I try and think of people reading this years down the road that don't know our little IMI group-- and who might be a beginner cook/baker. Hopefully it helps some people down the road! I know most of us here are pretty experienced, but I still learn off of others (and all of you here) all the time!! :D

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chuckieb 5 years ago said:

It looks and sounds delicious! I've never had Colcannon!

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DIZ3 5 years ago said:

Great photo, Cosmicmother! I LOVE colcannon! I have yet to meet a recipe that I didn't like. The more cabbage the better. :) I dislike recipes that do not give specific measurements and say 1/2 a head or a whole onion. That is so subjective. I think over the years commercial producers are growing hybrid vegetables that keep getting bigger and bigger in size. Recipe results can vary when you don't use exact measurements.

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Cosmicmother 5 years ago said:

Thanks ladies! :)
Diz, yes, when I see a stew or soup recipe call for 5 or 6 carrots I have to imagine they mean the small skinny garden carrots. I bought a bag of organic carrots and they are a huge! Probably one carrot is the size of 3 or 4 garden carrots. Because it doesn't call for an approx. size, a weight, or cups-chopped you have to guess or use your best judgment. And how did organic carrots get so big?? Must be magic soil in the greenhouse, Lol ;)

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