Description
These Twice-Baked Colcannon Potatoes are a festive and easy-to-make St. Patrick's Day side dish. A twist on the classic Irish dish, colcannon, these potatoes are mashed with buttermilk, sour cream, and chives and mixed with kale, cabbage, leeks, and bacon. A generous measure of Irish cheddar cheese melts on top for maximum tastiness. Baking the potatoes twice creates a crispy exterior and a creamy, delicious interior!
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes (about 8 oz each), scrubbed clean and dried
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 4 oz (4 slices) bacon (omit for vegetarian and sub for 2 tbsp unsalted butter)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (may sub for 1/2 tsp garlic powder)*
- 60 g (1 cup packed or about half of 1 large) leek, thinly sliced
- 5 oz (3 cups packed) savoy cabbage, finely chopped
- 2 oz (2 cups packed) Lacinato kale, deveined and thinly chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
- 8 oz (1 cup) sour cream
- 2 oz (1/4 cup) buttermilk (may sub for whole milk or cream)
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, minced (may sub for 1 tsp dried)
- 4 oz (1 cup) Irish cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F / 220 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and reserve to the side.
- Bake the potatoes:
- Poke holes in each potato with a fork to release steam while they bake (I like to poke each potato around 12 times). Coat each potato evenly with a light layer of olive oil or other neutral cooking oil.
- I prefer to bake potatoes directly on the middle oven rack with the parchment-lined sheet pan placed on the lower rack below to catch liquids that may drop from the potatoes. However, you can also bake the potatoes directly on the sheet pan on the middle rack if you prefer. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the flesh of each potato can be easily pierced with a fork without resistance. Reserve potatoes to the side on the baking sheet until cool enough to handle.
- Cook the bacon: If you have room in your oven for a second sheet pan, you can cook the bacon at the same time the potatoes are cooking. If not, you can pop the bacon in directly after the potatoes are removed and cooling.
- On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, lay the bacon out flat. Bake for 15-minutes or until the bacon has crisped and the fat has rendered. Once cooked, use a fork or tongs to carefully move cooked bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate to the side to drain. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat to cook the filling with. Once the bacon is cool, crumble it and reserve to the side.
- While the potatoes bake, make the filling:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat add 2 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat (or unsalted butter if you are not using bacon). Once the pan is hot, add the minced garlic and leeks and sautee for about a minute. Then add the cabbage, kale, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt and continue cooking, stirring regularly, until tenderized. If your pan starts getting too hot, you can lower the heat. You do not want the garlic and leeks to burn. Remove from heat and reserve sauteed filling to the side.
- Assemble the twice-baked potatoes:
- Lower the oven heat to 400 degrees / 205 C.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice each in half lengthwise. I find that a serrated knife (like a steak knife) works best for this. Using a metal spoon, gently scoop out the soft potato flesh, leaving a thin layer of potato flesh behind to protect the skins from tearing. Transfer the flesh to a large mixing bowl and reserve each hollowed-out potato skin to the side on your reserved parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Using a fork or potato masher, mash the potatoes until they reach your desired level of smoothness. I prefer to leave some small lumps in mine, but you can mash to whatever consistency you prefer.
- Add the sour cream, buttermilk, chives, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper to the mashed potatoes. Mix until combined. If you find that you need a bit more liquid you can add a small splash of buttermilk if you'd like to. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if needed
- Add the remaining filling ingredients (sauteed leeks, cabbage, kale, and crumbled bacon) to the bowl. Using a spoon or spatula, fold the ingredients together until well combined.
- Using a spoon, fill each reserved potato skin with filling and return them to their baking sheet. If you find that your potatoes are rolling to the side, you can gently press the filling down until the potato bottom flattens slightly and widens to stabilize.
- Top each stuffed potato with shredded cheese.
- Bake the potatoes (again):
- Bake the stuffed potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the potato skins turn lightly golden and crisp. Serve warm. See notes for baking from cold or frozen.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
* You can use fresh minced garlic cloves or garlic powder for this recipe. If you have a fresh garlic intolerance and can tolerate garlic-infused olive oil you can substitute this for the cooking fat (butter or bacon drippings) if you prefer.
BAKING FROM COLD OR FROZEN: If you baked your potatoes a day in advance and are finishing assembling the filling cold the following day I suggest lowering the oven heat to 375 degrees F / 190 C and baking for an additional 10-minutes to ensure that the centers of the stuffed potatoes are properly warmed. Frozen: If you are baking these potatoes after assembling and freezing them, they can be baked at 350 degrees F / 175 C for 30-40 minutes, or until they're heated through and the skins are crispy.
OTHER NOTES: I will sometimes reserve a small amount of bacon and greens to top each potato with, but this is not necessary. It's only for presentation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed half
- Calories: 268
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 411 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 37 mg