Irish brunch? Colcannon cakes with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce recipe
Fancy changing up your brunch? Try this recipe for colcannon cakes with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, you won't be disappointed!
The word colcannon is from the Gaelic "cal ceannann," which literally means "white-headed cabbage." The traditional Irish recipe normally includes chopped kale or green cabbage mixed with hot, floury mashed potatoes.
This dish would also be delicious served with a slice of baked ham or bacon if you have any leftovers from dinner the night before. Alternatively, chop up the ham or bacon and add to the colcannon mixture before shaping it into patties.
Colcannon cakes with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce recipe
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients:
450g potatoes, peeled
40g butter
3 scallions, finely chopped
A little salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g Savoy cabbage, shredded
A little plain flour, for dusting
Olive oil, for frying
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons white wine or tarragon vinegar
2 large egg yolks
100g unsalted butter
Method:
Cook the potatoes in a covered pan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, heat a knob of butter and one tablespoon of water in a heavy-based pan with a lid, over high heat.
When the butter has melted and formed an emulsion, add the scallions and cabbage with a pinch of salt. Cover, shake vigorously, and cook over high heat for 1 minute. Shake the pan again and cook for another minute, then season with pepper.
Drain the potatoes and mash until smooth, then beat in the remaining butter. Fold in the cabbage mixture.
Shape the mixture into four balls, dust with flour, and press into neat patties. Heat a thin film of olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan, add the patties, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
To make the poached eggs, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the vinegar and season with salt, and keep at a very gentle simmer. Break the eggs into the water and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until just cooked but still soft inside.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper, trimming away any ragged edges.
To make the hollandaise sauce, place the vinegar and egg yolks in a food processor with a pinch of salt. Blend until just combined.
Gently heat the butter in a heavy-based pan until melted and just beginning to foam. Turn on the food processor and, with the motor running at medium speed, pour the melted butter into the feeder tube in a thin, steady stream.
Continue blitzing for another 5 seconds, then pour back into the pan without returning to the heat.
Allow the heat from the pan to finish thickening the sauce, stirring gently for another minute before serving. Season to taste with salt.
Serving Suggestions:
To serve, place a colcannon cake on a warmed plate and a poached egg on top of each. Spoon over the hollandaise sauce and add a grinding of black pepper.
For more Irish recipes, visit Bord Bia.
* Originally published in 2022, updated in 2026.
