Make Sauteed Cabbage Irish-Style For A Heartier Side

Sautéed cabbage, being both nutritious and delicious, is one of our favorite veggie sides. When we consider how to dress up this leafy green, we like to take a page from our Irish friends, who mix their cabbage with an unlikely ally: mashed potatoes. Holy yum, right? This hearty dish is richer than either cabbage or potatoes on their own, to boot.

Potatoes and Irish food culture are inextricably tied together, as anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of ethnogeography could tell you. We've previously covered colorfully named Irish boxty, a St. Patrick's Day delight that sometimes gets replicated in the States. Colcannon also has a name that's fun to say, and it stars potatoes too, but the main draw of the dish is a surprising one: sautéed cabbage, possibly with other greens. Imagine scrumptious veggies that are cooked down in either butter or bacon fat and swirled through the spuds.

It's easy to make colcannon in your own kitchen. First of all, you need mashed potatoes. We think Yukon Gold potatoes make the best mash due to the alchemy of starches and hot water, and most colcannon recipes agree. Plenty of butter and cream (or your favorite nondairy subs for a vegan version) are non-negotiables. While your 'taters are boiling, go ahead and sauté some cabbage in a pan with even more butter. Some recipes will add leeks or kale as well. Basically, if it's green and leafy, it's game. When your potatoes are mashed, go ahead and stir your cabbage into your potatoes. The result? Creamy, dreamy, cabbage-y potatoes that taste like a hug in a bowl.

Onions and bacon are two widely used ingredients in colcannon, and with good reason. Onions and potatoes go together like natural BFFs, almost as much as sautéed cabbage and onions. Bacon, too, is a great all-time accompaniment to these ingredients. For maximum flavor, cook your bacon first, saving the grease to sauté your cabbage. Many folks put cheese in their mashed potatoes, and we think cheesy mash is a great vessel for stirring in cabbage and other greens, especially when you're pairing colcannon with a rich, unctuous meat like sausages or corned beef.

Don't underestimate the sheer amount of butter that goes into colcannon. As some have made it, we're talking whole sticks, not wimpy pats. We've actually seen colcannon served with a central well in which several tablespoons of butter are melted so that you can dip into the pool and get butter on every single bite of potato and cabbage. It's a serving idea that's visually attractive and delish!

Beer is associated with St. Patrick's Day because ol' Paddy himself reportedly liked a tipple, but we have to wonder what the patron saint of Ireland would think about colcannon, given that it's also associated with his saint's day. Irish foodies like colcannon on other special occasions, including Halloween. The time of year you make your colcannon is up to you, as we promise it's good on any day ending in "y." Engaging in some variations, traditional or otherwise, can keep the experience fun and delicious at the same time.