Irish Colcannon Mac ‘N Cheese
I’m kind of a terrible food blogger. Just kidding, I’m an amazing food blogger. That’s why you’re here, right?
Hello? Right?!
Well, even though I’m at least a pretty good food blogger, I’m terrible at planning what I make ahead of time to coincide with holidays and such. Like, I never have a donut recipe ready for you guys for National Donut Day or whatever. I just can’t seem to get it together for stuff like that very often. But for some strange reason, I seem to always be able to achieve this kind of preparedness for St. Patrick’s Day, of all things. Last year, I’m pretty sure I actually came up with two super delicious Irish-themed recipes before St. Pat’s- Guinness Cheddar Dip AND Bacon and Whiskey Cookies.
I don’t get it either, but let’s just roll with it and act like this is how we operate around here all the time. Because this one is a doozie. Obviously not super authentic, and somewhat obnoxious in that “let’s make everything into mac and cheese” kind of way, but a doozie nonetheless. And seriously yummy, so there’s that. Why have boiled cabbage when you can have cheesy pasta loaded with potatoes, cabbage, leeks, and bacon? Exactly.
I was a little worried about the whole pasta and potatoes thing, which was silly, in retrospect. This is just potato-y enough; you can taste potato, and get a hint of the texture, but it’s not overwhelming. Same with the cabbage and leeks. So despite sounding kind of over-the-top, this mac and cheese is pretty balanced and eatable. It could easily be the main attraction, but it also would make an awesome side for your corned beef. In case anyone was wondering, it also freezes really well, so if you want to be super ahead of the game (like me, the world’s okayest food blogger), you could make this now, eat half, then freeze the other half for St. Patrick’s Day!
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow pasta, cooked al dente
- 2 large potatoes, unpeeled
- 8 slices thick-sliced bacon, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 leeks, sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups whole milk
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 3 cups shredded Cheddar
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- chopped parsley, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Cook potatoes in pot of boiling water until fork tender. Allow to cool completely. Peel with pairing knife and shred with box grater. Set aside.
- Heat large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy and browned. Remove with slotted spoon and transfer to plate lined with paper towels. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from pot. Stir in onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add cabbage and leeks. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir and continue cooking about 5 minutes more until mixture is soft. Fold in shredded potatoes and remove from heat. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a largish pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook about 10 seconds. Carefully add warm milk gradually, whisking continuously until all of the milk has been added and butter/flour mixture has completely dissolved. Let this mixture simmer for a minute or two until it has thickened up a bit. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper and paprika. Stir with wooden spoon, until cheese has melted. Fold in pasta, cabbage mixture, and bacon.
- Pour mixture into 9x13-inch baking dish or into individual 8-ounce ramekins. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly. Place under broiler a few seconds to brown and crisp the top, if you wish. Sprinkle with parsley, if you're into that, and serve.