Irish Colcannon
Okay so I’m a wee bit late to the party here, the day after St. Patty’s Day! But this dish… my oh my, it’s good ANY time of year. Traditionally made with potatoes, cabbage and leeks, I swapped the cabbage with kale. And of course, for this plant-based version, I used a rich cashew milk instead of heavy cream. Celebrate any day with this luscious, stick-to-your-ribs Irish comfort food. I assure you, there won’t be any leftovers. Blimey! 🍀
Ingredients
3 pounds yukon gold potatoes
1 bunch curly kale
2 stalks leeks
1.5 cup cashew milk
salt to taste or none if you’re salt-free
a few twists of black pepper
Method
For the cashew milk, simply blend 1/2 cup cashews with 1 cup water until totally smooth. If you don’t have a high-powered blender (what are you waiting for?), soak the cashews for about 3 hours prior.
Cut potatoes into 2 inch pieces and place in a pot. You can peel them if you like but you don’t have to. Yukon gold skins are very thin and they are fine left on. Cover with water. Boil until tender.
Meanwhile, cut up the kale into bite-sized pieces, removing the tough inner stems.
Chop the leeks. Make sure you slit them lengthwise first and rinse well under running water. Lots of dirt tends to hide in there!
Steam the kale and the leeks together until the kale is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Alternately, you can cook them in the Instant Pot for 3 minutes with a quick release.
When the potatoes are soft, drain them and return to the pot. Basically you are making mashed potatoes here. Add the milk and salt, if using, and mash until creamy. I like to leave mine with lots of chunks, but that’s a personal preference.
Mix the steamed kale and leeks into the mashed taters.
Add love 💚
Top with a twist or two of black pepper. That’s it! Easy peasy.
Serves 4 hungry folks. Enjoy!