This Irish Mashed Potato recipe is twist on a classic Colcannon and it is perfect for Thanksgiving.
You can't have Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes, right? They have always been my favorite part of the meal. This year my series of Thanksgiving recipes here on the blog is inspired by travel, and it is fitting that my mashed potato recipe is inspired by my trip to Ireland.
The traditional Irish recipe calls for the kale and onions to be mixed right in with the potatoes. I took a more modern deconstructed approach to preparing colcannon. My method lets you prepare the mashed potatoes a day ahead, and then add the onions and kale just prior to serving.
The onions are cooked low and slow until they are lightly caramelized. Once the onions are nearly ready you add the kale and cook for just 3 minutes. The kale cooks just enough to soften without losing its fresh crunch. The onions and kale really take the potatoes to the next level.
The mashed potatoes are my classic mashed potato recipe. You might be surprised that I don't add any cream to my mashed potatoes. That is because adding sour cream and cream cheese is so much more delicious. I do use reduced fat sour cream and cream cheese - you can't even taste the difference and it prevents the mashed potatoes from being too heavy. This time I used red bliss potatoes so that I didn’t have to do any peeling. I love any little cooking hack that saves time when prepping for Thanksgiving.
I loved the final presentation of the dish. I prepared the mashed potatoes the day before and reheated them in the oven. If you choose to make the potatoes ahead of time, I do recommend adding extra sour cream since the potatoes dry out when the reheat. I like to add just enough sour cream until it is just too much, the next day when you reheat the potatoes by baking them in the oven the potatoes are still moist and fluffy.
Just before serving the potatoes I poured the sautéed onions and kale over the top. People had the option of swirling the onions, kale, and potatoes together, or keeping them more separate. I also added a touch of butter on top of the potatoes, but this was more to make them look better in the photos. I thought that the presentation was far more exciting than a bowl of plain mashed potatoes, and it was even more delicious.
How to make Irish Mashed Potatoes:
Irish Mashed Potatoes (Colcannon)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds of Red Bliss Potatoes
- 8 ounces of ⅓ less fat Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Sour Cream plus an extra ½ cup if making these a day ahead
- about 1 teaspoon Salt
- about ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 3 tablespoons Butter
- 1 cup White Onion
- 1 cup chopped Kale
Instructions
- Rinse and chop the potatoes. Place them in a pot and fill with cold salted water. Bring to a boil, and let boil for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are very soft.
- Drain the potatoes, and return them to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons butter, and the cream cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper, and use a masher to mash. Add more salt and pepper to taste, and had about an extra ½ cup of sour cream if you plan on reheating the potatoes in the oven prior to serving. I recommend reheating the potatoes for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Just before serving the potatoes, melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Then add the chopped kale and cook for another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the onions and kale over the potatoes and serve.
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