Irish Colcannon

Published March 17, 2009 by PETA Staff. Last Updated December 8, 2013.

Last week, I couldn’t decide between having my St. Patrick’s Day food consist of Irish dishes or just food that’s green. Well, I chose the Irish recipes. Green tofu, tempeh, and seitan might scare somebody.

To celebrate St. Patty’s, I made colcannon, which is a traditional Irish potatoes-and-greens dish, for the first time. Think mashed potatoes with extra ingredients such as greens—some recipes use cabbage while others use kale—and leeks. So not only is it very Irish, it’s also naturally green.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Irish Colcannon

Salted water
1 lb. greens (try cabbage or kale)
2 lbs. potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
2 leeks, sliced
1 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp. mace
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup vegan margarine (try Earth Balance brand)

Fill a medium pot with the salted water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage and cook for 15 minutes, until tender. Drain and roughly chop. Set aside.
While the cabbage is cooking, add the potatoes to a pot, cover with water and cook over medium-high heat for 30 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside.
Add the leeks to a saucepan and cover with the soy milk. Cook over medium heat and bring close to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until tender. Set aside.
Mash the potatoes with the mace, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the soy milk-leeks mixture, keeping the leeks intact. Add more soy milk as needed to make smooth. Add the cabbage and margarine.
Place in a casserole dish and broil for 2 to 5 minutes, until browned.

Makes 6 servings