Colcannon with Bacon (AIP, Paleo, Whole30, Nightshade-Free)

Just in time for St. Patrick's day, we've got AIP Irish Colcannon with bacon! It is a lovely comforting side dish usually made with mashed potatoes, kale or cabbage. In this case, I've used yuca root in place of the potatoes to keep the dish nightshade-free. If you don't have easy access to yuca root, there are plenty of other options you can use! I'll talk about those below. 

What is Colcannon?

Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish made with mashed potatoes, butter, milk, and kale or cabbage. It is a fairly popular dish around St. Patrick's Day. Variations on ingredients include leeks, scallions, green onions. 

The cool thing about Colcannon is there is a lot of flexibility to the dish. If you don't like kale, you can use cabbage. If you don't like cabbage you can use leeks. There are probably other veggies you could use for the green veggie part as well.

The same thought goes for the "potato" part of the dish too. There are lots of starchy veggies that work well as stand-ins for potatoes- I'll list those in a sec.

What Do You Eat with Colcannon?

Colcannon is often eaten with ham, bacon, corned beef, and/or cabbage. 

Champ is another Irish dish very similar to Colcannon but it's made with scallions, butter, and milk.

Ingredients for AIP Irish Colcannon with Bacon

• Yuca Root/Cassava

This is just such an awesome starchy veggie and tastes extremely similar to white potatoes. They can be a little tricky to find but I usually can get them at Publix. I've also heard of stores selling it frozen as well. If you can't find it in stores, Amazon sells it too. If all this fails, check out the substitutions options below.  

• Green Cabbage

This will be sliced pretty thin for this dish. If it's too big and chunky, it'll detract from the other ingredients.

• Lacinato Kale

I put quite a bit of kale in my Colcannon because I love it. However, not everyone likes a ton of greens in their Colcannon. If you prefer fewer greens, just add a little less kale (and/or cabbage) than the recipe calls for.

If at all possible, try to get Lacinato kale rather than curly kale. It's just softer and works so much better in this dish. If you can only find curly kale, it'll still work ok. 

• Bacon

Make sure it is AIP/Paleo compliant. I made a whole Guide on AIP/Paleo/Whole30 Bacon if you're curious about what's compliant and what products to use. Alternatively, you can grab some from Amazon.

• Green Onions

For this dish, we'll separate the white parts from the green. The white parts will be sauteed with the bacon mixture. The green parts will be used as a garnish. 

• Garlic Cloves

Garlic is not always included in Colcannon but these really enhance the overall flavor.

• Chicken Broth

You can use regular broth or bone broth. You only need a small amount to thin out the mashed yuca a bit. 

• Olive Oil

Extra-virgin and cold-pressed is preferred. Avocado oil works well too. 

• Sea Salt

I prefer to use pink sea salt but you can use other sea salts as well. 

How to Make AIP Irish Colcannon with Bacon

1. Wash, peel, and boil the yuca root. 
2. Boil the yuca root. 
3. Wash, destem, and shred the kale. Set aside.
4. Slice/dice the cabbage, onions, garlic. Set aside. 
5. Cook the bacon on the stove for about 5 minutes, then add the whites of the onions, the garlic, and salt. Cook for about 1 minute. 
6. Add the cabbage and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the kale at the end and cook for 1-2 minutes more to wilt it, then remove from the heat. 
7. Once the yuca is done cooking, drain the water. Remove the center stringy part from the yuca and mash it with a potato masher or put it in a food processor. 
8. Put the yuca mixture in a bowl and add the bacon mixture to it. Serve drizzled with olive oil and garnished with the green parts of the onions. 

Substitutes

Yuca/Cassava: Boniato, Malanga Blanca, white sweet potato, green plantains, cauliflower (omit broth from the recipe, won't need to boil as long as the yuca)

Kale and Cabbage- You could use all kale or all cabbage. Other options include leeks, collards, swiss chard, brussels sprouts, or spinach. 

Can You Make Colcannon Ahead of Time?

Yes, it keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days and reheats nicely. 

Can You Freeze Colcannon?

You can freeze this colcannon in an airtight container for up to 3 months. If you sub in a different ingredient, for example, cauliflower, it may not freeze as well. 

 

I hope you found this post useful. How do you feel about this Colcannon with bacon? Leave a comment below and let me know what you thought!

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