Rustic, tasty, filling, inexpensive, but also worthy of company. Who could ask for anything more?
The Irish in me looks forward to St. Patrick’s Day cooking because there is usually a potato involved! One of my favorite country dishes is colcannon, a humble bowl of mashed potatoes mixed with kale or cabbage a few scallions or chives and dotted with lots of butter.
Let’s change it up!
This year, I decided to switch things up a bit and use the cabbage on the outside of the colcannon as a wrap, and I used chopped baby kale in the filling along with some luscious leeks. They were fun to make, and you can use any type of cabbage you like, regular green, purple, Savoy, or Napa, just adjust your blanching time with the thickness of the leaves.
Eat those potato peels!
To top it all off, I reserved the potato peelings from the mash and fried them! A few years ago, our book club read “The Guernsey Literary Society and Potato Peel Society,” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. We all enjoyed the book, and it planted the idea in my brain to use up those potato scraps that generally ended up in the compost heap. They are delicious fried! Quite addictive really, and a family favorite.
Now, let’s dance!
The fried skins added a lovely texture and flavor to the overall dish which is still simple, delicious, nutritious, inexpensive as a main course, and just a little different take on a classic. They also reheated nicely.
This could also delight a gathering of friends, so dust off the Celtic music and invite them over. It’s been way too long and they’re ready for a party!
Colcannon Wraps with French-Fried Potato Peels
- 2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
- The peelings of those potatoes
- Plant or dairy milk and butter for mashing
- 1 tbsp. each canola oil and vegan or dairy butter
- 2 cups diced leeks
- 3 -4 oz. baby kale, chopped
- 2 large scallions, minced
- 1 tsp. carraway seeds, crushed
- 12-16 large cabbage leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley or chives to garnish
Prep your vegetables: Remove any eyes from the potatoes and peel, reserving those peelings. Put them in a bowl under cold water while you make the rest of the meal so they don’t discolor. Gently remove the outer leaves from your head of cabbage. Slice around the core, then carefully pry them off. If they are stubborn, plunge the whole head in boiling water. Trim back the large ribs of the cabbage, this will allow them to cook more evenly. Just take a sharp paring knife and slice the bulk off the outside of the rib.
Heat a large pot of water to boiling and cook the cabbage leaves, four at a time, until soft and pliable. This only takes a few minutes. Drain on a kitchen towel, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside.
Add the potatoes to a pot of cold, salted water, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer until very soft. Drain, mash, and set aside. Mash however you like your potatoes with plant or dairy milk and butter.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium high and warm the oil and butter. Add the leeks and cook until they soften. Add the kale, scallions, and carraway seeds, season with salt and lots of pepper, and continue cooking until everything is tender and well blended. This will take just a few minutes. Fold into the mashed potatoes.
Fill each cabbage leaf with between 1/3 and ½ cup of the potato filling. This will depend on the size of your leaves! Roll up burrito style and place on a serving platter, seam side down.
Continue rolling until the filling is used up. Cover with foil and place in a warm spot while you make your French-Fried Potato Peels.
Heat about an inch of canola oil in a cast-iron or other heavy frying pan. Remove the potato skins from the water and pat dry while the oil heats. When the oil is about 350 degrees, add the peelings and cook until browned. Do not walk away from these. Drain on paper towels and immediately salt. You can also cook these in the air fryer or oven at 400 degrees, after spritzing with oil.
Garnish your platter with the fried peelings and a little parsley. You can dot with a bit more butter if you like!
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Looks delicious. And frugal. Win, win!
Thank you Laurie, everyone was happy with this one!
Yummy
Thanks Sheree! We loved these!
I’m Irish and proud of it, but I must admit some of their recipes don’t quite hit the mark because I’m not a big cooked cabbage person. I can see that someone who does would enjoy this immensely.
Thanks Judy. Most of my family like cabbage, not all, but they all love potatoes!
This looks delicious!
Thanks!
This looks so good!
Thank you Julie! It was really fun!
That is indeed an interesting twist! I love cabbage and grew up eating it as well as potatoes, but I have never heard of colcannon. You made them look very elegant.
Thanks! If a dish has potatoes, it is always on my list!
I am beyond impressed, Dorothy! I bow to your expertise. 🙏🏻🍃
Oh thanks Gail! I like to shake things up! 🕺
Nice one!
Thanks! We loved it!
This is such a creative twist on Colcannon! Love the use of potato skins this way.
The book was wonderful! 🙂
Thank you Ronit! I loved the book and it was a great book club read!
Waste not want not as they say …we love potato peelings cooked this way…A lovely different take on colcannon, Dorothy like you we love cabbage and potatoes in this house 🙂
Thank you Carol! If there are potatoes and/or cabbage, I’m there too!
That looks like an impressive and delicious wrap Dorothy
Thank you Sowmya! They were very much enjoyed!
Not only does this look fantastic – it rang a very large bell with me! I don’t usually do this but if you hop on over to my site and check out a little story called The Register you’ll know what I mean. Just don’t read it while eating anything “Colcannnon”! You’ve been warned! Bwahahaha!!!
I will check it out Nancy, and consider myself forewarned!
This is the second time I’ve seen you make tasty use of potato peels, and I love it! What a fun thing you’ve done, turning colcannon “inside out!”
Always looking for a little twist! I liked the different texture of the cabbage by making it this way, and I’ll always be happy for the fried peels!
What a wonderful twist on Colcannon! I have made fried potato peels and they are yummy, this is a perfect dish for St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️
Thank you Jenna! I thought it would be perfect for The Day! 🍀☘️
This sounds incredible! Love the fried potato skins, that’s a great idea for some added crunch!
Thanks! It does add both flavor and crunch, and with all those soft potatoes, the crunch is especially appreciated.
How fun! I need to use up a lot of cabbage (I overbought…) and this will do it nicely. 🙂
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
You are brilliant Dorothy, French Fried Potato Peels…YUM!
Thanks Diane! I’m always looking at those vegetable scraps, ready to put them to work!
What an interesting dish! I love the idea of using potato peels 😉😋
The peels are delicious, and everyone gets excited with them!
Love this idea. Great combination.
Thank you Jovian!
What a great way to change up a traditional favorite! Sounds perfect for St. Patty’s Day! 🙂
Thank you so much Nancy! It’s fun to try to find a new spin on things, and this was a hit!
Fried potatoes peels sound good. I have to give them a try. Thanks for the idea!
A great use of scraps!
It sounds like it!
While I missed out for St. Patrick’s Day, I would enjoy this any time of the year.
Thank you Karen. They were a treat, and I’m already thinking of other fillings for the cabbage wraps other than the traditional stuffed cabbage recipes.
I swear I have eaten half my weight in cabbage these last 2 months but I cannot fid Savoy so I just came in from straightening out my raised beds and getting ready to plant beets, lettuce, peas and everything else that can withstand the bumpy ride we know as spring up here.
We had a lot of cabbage from our winter CSA here too, so I had to get a bit creative!
The old saying around here is that if you have to roll up your sleeves while planting peas, you’ve waited too long!
Peas, Kale, Spinach, and Beets and Swiss Chard go in first thing in the morning. I will plant them again in Aug. When these hate the heat, I will grow my summer crops. Can’t wait for fresh peas and spinach.
I salivate thinking about them!
Tough times on fixed income have me getting creative in the soil as well.
There’s nothing better than growing your own!
What a great way to use potato peels!
It’s fun, isn’t it! And really tasty.