This colcannon recipe is a basic vegetarian or vegan version; perfect as an everyday side dish, peasant lunch or breakfast with eggs or butter beans, or to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with festive green and white. This is the most celebrated of Irish potato dish.

Ingredients
• 2 cups water
• 2 pounds chopped cabbage
• Salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 4 pounds medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 cups milk or unsweetened/plain soy milk
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• Crumbled cooked bacon and minced fresh parsley

Directions:
Put the potatoes into a large pot, with the larger ones on the bottom, and add water to come halfway up the potatoes. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water begins to boil, carefully drain off about half of it, then return the pot to the heat, cover it again, reduce the heat to low, and let the potatoes steam for about 40 minutes.

In a large saucepan, bring cabbage and water to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until tender. Place cooking liquid and potatoes in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cook for 12-15 minutes until tender.

In a small saucepan, bring milk and onions to a boil; remove from the heat. In a large bowl, mash potatoes. Add milk, salt and pepper and beat until fluffy. Drizzle with the melted butter, bacon and parsley.

To serve in the traditional Irish manner, push the back of a large soup spoon down in the middle of each portion to make a crater, then put a large pat of room-temperature butter into each one to make a lake. Diners dip each forkful of colcannon into the butter until its walls are breached.