Nigella Lawson Brown Butter Colcannon

Nigella Lawson’s brown butter colcannon is her take on the Irish classic of mashed potato and kale, enriched with a generous amount of butter cooked to a deep, nutty brown. It uses skin-on potatoes, full-fat milk and spring onions, and serves 4 to 6.

In Cook, Eat, Repeat (2020) she says every form of mashed potato speaks deeply to her, but this one is on another level. The colcannon itself stays traditional, mash folded with kale, but instead of a pool of melted golden butter on top, she browns the butter first until it’s caramelly and nutty.

The step that makes it special is that brown butter, one of life’s great joys, as she puts it. Heated until it turns the colour of a hazelnut, about 7 minutes, it develops a deep, toasty, nutty flavour that transforms an already comforting bowl of mash.

Nigella Lawson Brown Butter Colcannon

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: SidesCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

415

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Nigella’s beurre-noisette twist on Irish colcannon from Cook, Eat, Repeat: skin-on mashed potato folded with kale and spring onion, finished with nutty brown butter beaten in and poured over. Serves four to six.

Ingredients

• 1 to 1.25kg potatoes (Kerr’s Pink, Golden Wonder or Rooster / Russets), preferably of a uniform size

• 200g kale, stripped from stems and torn into small pieces (approx. 300 to 400g if buying on stems)

• 250ml full-fat milk

• 2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt flakes

• 4 spring onions

• 150g unsalted butter

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Directions

• Boil the potatoes whole:Scrub any mud off the potatoes and put them whole into a large pan of salted cold water. Bring to the boil and cook at a robust simmer, lid partially on, until tender when pierced with a fork: about 40 minutes for smaller potatoes, up to an hour for larger.
• Cook the kale:Meanwhile, strip the kale from the stems and tear into small pieces, removing any tough bits. Boil in a little salted water for about 5 minutes until soft, drain, then squeeze out the excess water. Return to the hot pan, cover and keep warm. Finely slice the spring onions, using most of the green too, and set aside.
• Dry the potatoes:Lift the tender potatoes out gently rather than draining in a colander, which can waterlog them. Wipe out the hot pan and return the potatoes to it on the turned-off hob for a couple of minutes to dry.
• Mash:Mash in the pan with the warmed milk and salt (never a stick blender, or it turns to glue). Keep the skins on for texture. Fold in the kale, taste for seasoning, and cover to keep hot.
• Brown the butter:Cut the butter into slabs and melt in a light-coloured, heavy pan over gentle heat. Turn to medium and cook, swirling regularly, until deep golden with dark speckles and a nutty, toasty smell, about 7 minutes. Off the heat, add the spring onions, which will sizzle furiously.
• Finish:Pour two-thirds of the brown butter into the potatoes and the rest into a small jug. Beat the butter into the colcannon, scrape into a warmed bowl, and make swirls in the top. Pour the remaining brown butter and spring onions over, and take to the table.

Notes

• (the potatoes): Nigella wishes she could use Irish Kerr’s Pinks or Golden Wonder, but uses Roosters where she lives, and recommends Russets for US cooks. Use potatoes of a similar size and boil them whole and unpeeled, which stops them getting waterlogged. She doesn’t peel them before mashing, since folding in kale means it won’t be a smooth mash anyway.
• (the butter): Yes, there’s a lot of butter, and you can reduce it if it appals you, but colcannon exults in butter rather than apologising for it. Use a light-coloured pan so you can watch the colour turn.
• (serving): Divine with just some rashers of bacon on the side, or eaten in a bowl on its own. Nigella’s own favourite pairing is her Black Pudding Meatballs, and she also commends it alongside Christmas ham or a plate of cold cuts.
• (make ahead): Make the brown butter up to 2 weeks ahead, covered and refrigerated until needed.
• (store): Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, or covered with foil in a 180°C/160°C fan oven until piping hot.
• (freeze): The brown butter alone freezes in an airtight container for up to 3 months; defrost overnight in the fridge.

FAQs

What is brown butter, and how do I make it?

Brown butter, or beurre noisette, is butter cooked past melting until its water evaporates and the milk solids toast, turning it deep golden with a nutty, caramelly flavour and aroma. It’s the whole point of this dish, lifting plain buttery mash into something far richer.

Melt the butter gently, then cook over medium heat, swirling the pan, until it’s the colour of a hazelnut with dark (not black) speckles at the bottom, about 7 minutes. Use a light-coloured pan so you can judge the colour, and watch it closely, since it turns from brown to burnt fast. Adding the spring onions off the heat stops it cooking further.

Why boil the potatoes whole and unpeeled?

Boiling them whole, in their skins, stops them absorbing water and going soggy, so you get a fluffier, better-flavoured mash. Chopped or peeled potatoes soak up the cooking water and turn watery, which no amount of mashing fixes. Using potatoes of a similar size means they cook evenly.

Nigella lifts them out gently rather than tipping them into a colander, which can waterlog or break them, then dries them briefly in the hot pan. She leaves the skins on for texture, and since you’re folding in kale and spring onions, it was never going to be a smooth, silky mash anyway.

What potatoes should I use?

A floury, fluffy variety is what you want for a good colcannon. Nigella favours Irish Kerr’s Pinks or Golden Wonder where she can get them, uses Roosters in London, and recommends Russets for US cooks. All mash to a light, fluffy texture that carries the butter and kale well.

Avoid waxy salad potatoes, which stay dense and won’t mash fluffily. Whatever you choose, try to get them a uniform size so they cook at the same rate, and don’t use a stick blender or potato ricer, as the blender turns them gluey and a ricer loses the skins Nigella wants for texture.

Can I use cabbage instead of kale?

Yes. Colcannon is traditionally made with either kale or cabbage, so cabbage is completely authentic here. Shred it finely and cook it briefly until just soft, then squeeze out the water as you would the kale. Savoy cabbage is especially good, giving a slightly sweeter, more tender result.

Kale gives a deeper green colour and a little more bite, which stands up well to the rich butter. Either way, squeezing out the excess water is key, so it doesn’t make the mash wet. The spring onions, using plenty of the green, are non-negotiable for that classic colcannon flavour.

What do I serve it with?

Nigella eats it happily on its own or with some rashers of bacon, and it’s a fine family supper either way. Her own favourite pairing, though, is her black pudding meatballs, the rich tomatoey meatballs and buttery mash made for each other.

It’s also a wonderful side for a roast, especially alongside Christmas ham or a plate of cold cuts in the days after. Really, anything with gravy or a good sauce suits it, since the mash loves something to soak up. There are more comforting Nigella dishes on the Nigella Lawson recipes page.

Can I make it ahead, store or freeze it?

The brown butter is the great make-ahead here, keeping in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, so you can prepare it well in advance and just reheat it to pour over freshly made colcannon. That takes the last-minute pressure off.

The finished colcannon keeps, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge, reheated in the microwave or covered with foil in a 180°C fan-160°C oven until piping hot. The brown butter on its own also freezes for up to 3 months, defrosted overnight in the fridge. For another cosy Nigella supper, her fear-free fish stew reheats well too.