I don’t know what’s going on with my computer today, but half of my photos are out of whack. Please pretend they’re all centered. Thank you.
Colcannon is mashed potatoes enriched with tender cabbage (or kale), onions, salt, pepper, butter and cream. It’s comforting, rich, and a natural favorite for St. Patrick’s Day — but we also make it often throughout the colder months. We love this colcannon recipe and, because you can never have too many good potato dishes, I played with it until it became something new: colcannon-stuffed twice-baked potatoes.
Our usual colcannon method is straightforward: peel, chop and boil the potatoes, add the cabbage, drain and mash with butter, salt and cream, then fold in chopped green onions. We tend to add a generous amount of shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese and stir until melty. Often we transfer the mixture to a buttered casserole, top it with more Cheddar and bake until bubbly and lightly browned. That version is hard to beat — but my brain also loves to tinker.
While assembling ingredients, I spotted a jar of Guinness and Cheddar Potted Cheese in the fridge. A little voice suggested dolloping that on baked potatoes, which led me to twice-baked potatoes stuffed with colcannon and topped with the potted cheese. The result? Absolutely delicious. They’re indulgent and not particularly diet-friendly, but they’re worth every bite. Make a batch and share — you’ll be glad you did.
A practical perk: you can prepare these ahead and freeze them, then bake just before serving. They’re both delicious and flexible — exactly how good food should be.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for a corned beef recipe that I promise is outstanding. It pairs beautifully with these potatoes.
- Oh so yummy. Totally worth my thighs rubbing together and whispering, “Po-ta-to. Po-ta-to…”
For a printer-friendly, photo-free version of the recipe, see the original site.
Colcannon-Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes
- 14 medium all-purpose potatoes
- 1 small head white or green cabbage
- 1 cooking onion
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- ½ cup warm cream or half-and-half
- 3 tablespoons butter (for cabbage)
- ¼ cup butter, melted (for mashed potatoes)
- 1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons Guinness and Cheddar Potted Cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional for serving:
- Additional Guinness and Cheddar Potted Cheese
- Sliced green onions
- Minced cooked corned beef
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash the potatoes, prick them all over with a fork, and place on a rimmed sheet pan.
Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer pierces easily. Let them sit and cool slightly while you prepare the cabbage.
Prepare the onion for dicing: cut the blossom end off, halve the onion through the root, lay each half cut-side-down, slice vertically almost to the root at ¼” intervals, then turn and dice across the slices. Add the diced onion to the cabbage when it’s time to combine.
Trim a round off the base of the cabbage so it stands steady on the board. Cut the cabbage in half through the core. Remove the core and slice the halves as thinly as possible, then turn the knife and cut across to create small squares.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, then add the diced onion and continue to cook until the cabbage is tender and beginning to brown. Remove from heat.
Cut each baked potato in half and place them cut-side-up on a sheet pan. Scoop most of the insides into a bowl, leaving a ¼” shell.
Mash or rice the scooped potato flesh. Add the warm milk, cream and melted ¼ cup butter and toss with a fork until evenly combined. Stir in the Guinness and Cheddar Potted Cheese, shredded Cheddar, and the cabbage and onion mixture until well blended.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (or lower it if you’ve just baked the potatoes). Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to fill each potato shell, mounding the filling to cover the cut surface.
If you want to freeze some for later, place the filled potatoes on a sheet pan, cover lightly with plastic wrap and freeze until solid. Transfer to a zipper-top bag and keep in the freezer up to three months. For immediate serving, bake the filled potatoes at 375°F for about 30 minutes, until heated through and lightly browned on top.
Serve topped with extra Guinness and Cheddar Potted Cheese, finely chopped corned beef and thinly sliced green onions. Store leftovers (without the toppings) tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- And minus everything but the green onions for the person who decided they don’t like corned beef.
To Cook Previously Frozen Stuffed Potatoes:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the frozen potatoes on a sheet pan and loosely cover with foil. Bake about 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until heated through.
For a quicker option, microwave from frozen on high for about 8–10 minutes; results won’t be as textured as oven-baked, but it’s still far better than fast food.
Don’t forget to come back for the corned beef recipe tomorrow — I’ll save you a slice. Maybe.