The Irish love affair with the potato is about more than it simply being the only food that most Irish peasants subsisted on for hundreds of years. When mixed with milk and butter, potato turns into an instant comfort food that helps “take the edge off” on a damp, cold Irish evening.
There is also a darker side to the Irish dependency on the potato for food. When they were colonized by Britain, traditional crops were replaced by pasture land for beef cattle. This left Irish farmers with hardly any land left to grow crops in. Much of the beef was exported to Britain, along with any grain that was grown during the great Famine of the 1840’s.
Colcannon Recipe
- 6 large white/baking potatoes, peeled and boiled
- 3 green onions, green and white parts
- 3 scallions
- 1/4 pint of cream (1% milk for the calorie-counters)
- 1 cup boiled kale or cabbage, whichever is preferred
- 2 ounces of butter
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Finely mash the potatoes and set them aside. Chop the onions and scallions and add them to the milk with a small amount of salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Chop the kale finely and add it to the milk mixture along with half of the butter. Fold the kale, boiling milk and mashed potatoes together. Beat well and until light and fluffy. Serve topped with the remaining butter and fresh parsley.
Where Did it Come From?
Colcannon is derived from the Irish Gaelic, cál ceannfhionn. This means “cabbage head-white”. Traditional Colcannon is made from either cabbage or kale. Die-hard Irish fans will usually cook it with cabbage, but the kale is a nice alternative for those who don’t particularly care for cabbage and may be more kid-friendly.
Colcannon is such a traditional part of Irish culture that traditions have grown up around it. At Halloween, coins are put into the colcannon for children. Other various charms were also put into it and which one you got foretold what would happen in the coming year; a coin would mean wealth, a ring meant you would be married and a button would mean that you would be a spinster. Colcannon is traditionally served at Halloween. It was usually cooked in a small three-legged pot called a Bastable oven that looked like a cauldron.
Champing At the Bit
Champ is almost the same thing as colcannon, excepting that scallions or green onions are substituted for the cabbage or kale. Most people think that champ is no more than mashed potatoes with some onions, but they would be belittling the rich Irish heritage behind this dish to call it that.
- 4 pounds red potatoes, skins on
- 1/2 pint (300ml) milk
- 1 cup (225g) chopped green onions or scallions, or mixture of both
- 1/2 cup (110g) butter
- Salt and black pepper
Cook potatoes in boiling water until ready.
Simmer milk and spring onions together for five minutes. Strain potatoes and mash thoroughly. Add the milk and spring onion mixture, salt and pepper, and half the butter.
Serve the other half of the butter in the middle of each mound of champ in a hollowed-out well which the Irish call a “dunt”. Purists also recommending drinking a tall glass of milk with your champ; some even recommend buttermilk.
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