Colcannon, the easy way. With Cole Slaw, butter, Green onions, turkey bacon, instant potatoes, and milk. Photo by A. McGrath |
By Adrian McGrath
I have never made Colcannon before. I have made Champ, which is similar and which I like very much. But I never made Colcannon. So, I decided to make some; but I wanted it now and did not want a lot of cooking and effort.
So, I devised this shortcut version. If you want a traditional Colcannon and have a lot of time on your hands, go somewhere else. But if you want a quick and easy Colcannon which still resembles real Colcannon pretty much and does indeed taste great, you have come to the right place.
Here is how I made it. You can vary it as you choose, and you will have a nice meal.
My main ingredients for easy Colcannon -- Instant potatoes, Cole Slaw, green onions, Turkey bacon, canned milk, butter or margerine. Photo by A. McGrath |
You need 1. Instant potatoes, 2. Canned milk, 3. A premixed Cole Slaw without any dressing or mayonnaise on it (just shredded cabbage and carrots, etc), 4. Green onions or scallions, 5. Bacon (I used turkey bacon, but use whatever type you want), 6. Salt, pepper, and a pinch of brown sugar.
In a big pot (I used a Chinese Wok) add some olive oil and saute the bacon after chopping it up a bit. When cooked, add the Cole Slaw or shredded cabbage. Saute until soft. Add a pinch of brown sugar and salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl, mix the instant potatoes to instructions plus add milk. I used canned milk. Add the sliced green onions to the potatoes and mix.
Now mix the pototoes with the bacon and cabbage mix. If not still hot, put it in a microwave.
Mix it all up and put it in a big bowl. Make a hollow in the middle of the Colcannon mix and pour in some melted butter.
And that is it. It is done.
It is quick, easy, inexpensive, tasty, and filling. It is probably pretty nutritious too.
Some recipes for Colcannon use leeks instead of cabbage. So, you can try that too.
Sources and further reading:
Irish Cooking by Ruth Bauder Kershner.
Weathervane Books, 1979.