Colcannon Cakes

Have you ever made colcannon? It's a traditional Irish mashed potato dish with lots of greens. If there's a heaven for kale, it's this, mixed in with mashed potatoes and butter. Colcannon cakes, sort of an Irish version of potato latkes, are what you make with leftover colcannon. The only thing is, colcannon is so good, who has leftovers? So, you may just have to make a new batch to make these cakes. Or just make twice as much colcannon as you think you might need, just so you have enough to make these cakes. Oh my these are good. We liked them with a little fresh lemon juice squeezed on top. I had one with a runny egg for breakfast. Yum!

Colcannon Cakes Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes

You can also add some chopped fresh parsley to the colcannon mix. Here's a fun idea for breakfast, serve the colcannon cakes with a poached egg on top!

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INGREDIENTS

Colcannon:

• 2 1/2 pounds of russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• Salt
• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 lightly packed cups of chopped chard, kale, spinach, or cabbage
• 1/2 cup of green onion greens, chopped
• 1 cup milk or cream

Colcannon cakes:

• About 3 cups of colcannon
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 2-3 teaspoons salt
• 4 Tbsp butter or vegetable oil
• Lemon for garnish

METHOD

1 Make the colcannon first (see our colcannon recipe.) Put potatoes in a pot, cover with cold, well salted water by an inch, bring to a boil, and cook until fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and remove them from the pot. Melt the butter in the still warm pot, add the chopped greens, cook for 3-4 minutes until wilted, then add the green onions and cook for another minute. Add the potatoes, milk or cream to the pot, mash until everything is well mixed.

2 Mix the egg, flour and salt in with the colcannon. You may want to chill the mixture for 15 minutes or longer to make it easier to shape the patties. Form into little cakes of whatever size you want, but make them flat so they will cook through without burning. If the mixture is too wet, add more flour until the mixture is easy to shape.

3 Heat the butter or vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place the formed patties in the pan so they are not touching. Lower the heat to medium and gently fry until golden, abou 3-4 minutes. Turn and cook the other side. Let the cakes rest on a paper towel while you cook the others. Serve with slices of lemon.

Yield: Serves 4-6 as an appetizer.