A dish of creamy spring green potato mash is just what the doctor ordered! Made with tasty spring cabbage, creamy mashed potatoes and onions, and enriched with butter, cream and a generous sprinkling of ground black pepper this is a side dish that will be at home on any dinner table!
Whatever you call this vegetable, be it spring greens, spring cabbage or collard greens, this way of preparing it is Tasty with a capital 'T'!
Spring greens (or spring cabbage) can be quite bitter when simply boiled and piled on your plate, but cook them in this way and they are tasty and creamy and delicious!
This is how we used to prepare spinach or Swish Chard when I lived in South Africa, and it was always requested every time I made a roast.
To be honest, it's reminiscent of Irish colcannon in that the cabbage (or spring greens) is boiled and mashed with creamy potatoes. I'm always fascinated by the way different countries, thousands of miles apart, have similar ways of preparing food!
For perfect spring green potato mash, with absolutely no bitter taste, I have three secrets:
- the first is to remove the thick vein that runs down the middle of the leaf as this is where most of the bitter taste comes from;
- the second is to boil the spring greens until they are just wilted, then drain off the water and put the drained greens into a saucepan with potatoes, onions and fresh water and boil until the potatoes are soft enough to mash. Draining the water from the blanched spring greens removes any remaining bitterness;
- and the third secret is to add copious amounts of freshly ground black pepper! Spring greens absolutely LOVE black pepper! It brings out the flavour perfectly!
And what you end up with is a tasty vegetable side dish that goes well with either roast chicken, beef or pork!
I even made a dish of South African lamb bredie the other day and served it on a bed of mashed spring greens. We're still licking our fingers off.
Let me show you how easy it is to make.
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Ingredients
This recipe will make sufficient spring green potato mash to feed at least 4 people as a side. You may even have sufficient left over to freeze for another meal!
- Spring greens - are readily available in supermarkets everywhere in the UK for most of the year. If you can't find spring greens you can use Swiss chard or green leafy spinach instead. This recipe is not intended for baby spinach, however it is suitable for kale. Spring greens are also known as spring cabbage or collard greens.
- Potatoes - any floury potatoes that mash easily are suitable. In the UK I like to use Maris Piper or King Edward. The potatoes should be peeled and cut into chunks.
- Onions - white onions are the best to use, but you could substitute with red onions. They should be peeled and cut into small pieces.
- Salt - for seasoning.
- Freshly ground black pepper (which somehow got left out of the photo) - this is non-negotiable and really brings out the flavour of the spring greens.
- Butter - you can use either salted or unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, take this into account when seasoning the mash and use less salt.
- Cream - I prefer single cream to milk as this adds a creamier taste to the mash. Substitute with milk if you prefer.
**You can find the exact ingredient measurements for making this spring cabbage mash on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
Step 1: To remove the vein from the leaf, lay the leaf on a chopping board and slice it out using a sharp knife. Place the cleaned leaves into a bowl of cold water and rinse well to remove any dirt or grit.
Step 2: Take a few leaves at a time, and lay them one on top of the other. Using a sharp knife, cut the leaves into half-inch-wide slices.
Step 3: Place the sliced spring greens into a saucepan and add one cup of cold water. Do not add salt at this stage. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes then drain the spring greens in a colander.
Step 4: Return the drained spring greens to a saucepan, add the potatoes and onions, season with salt and cover with cold water. Cover the pan with a lid, bring to a boil and boil until the potatoes are soft enough to mash. This will take 10 to 15 minutes depending on how large you cut the potatoes.
Step 5: Drain the potatoes and spring greens and add the butter, cream and plenty of ground black pepper. Mash well with a potato masher. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and black pepper according to taste.
Step 6: Transfer the mashed spring greens to a serving dish and serve hot as a side with your favourite roast.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your mashed spring greens always turn out perfectly:
- Do take the time to remove the thick vein from the larger leaves. It makes a huge difference to the final taste.
- Don't be tempted to skip the step of draining the blanched greens as this step removes any lingering bitterness.
- Add the salt only with the second lot of water, ie when adding the potatoes.
- Don't skimp when adding the freshly ground black pepper - it really does add a heap of flavour.
Variations
You can vary this recipe in a number of ways:
- Stir in a handful of grated cheese when mashing the vegetables, or cover the mashed spring greens with grated cheese and grill (or broil) until the cheese has melted.
- Boil one or two cloves of garlic with the potatoes and onions.
- Add a large pinch of nutmeg when mashing the vegetables.
- Fry bacon until crispy and crumble it into the mash.
- Instead of boiling the onions with the potatoes and spring greens, caramelise the onions in olive oil and stir those into the mash.
Of course, you can substitute the spring greens with other vegetables too. Here are a few variations using different vegetables for inspiration:
Equipment
You will need a saucepan (with a lid) which is large enough to hold the raw chopped spring greens. It's surprising how they can fill a pan when raw, but wilt down to one-quarter of the volume once softened.
To remove the vein from the leaves and chop up the spring greens you will need a sharp knife and a chopping board. These will also come in handy for chopping up the onions and potatoes!
And finally, you will need a colander to drain the vegetables.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator and reheated either in a saucepan on the hob or in the microwave.
The spring green potato mash freezes beautifully too. Allow it to come to room temperature and pack it into meal-sized portions in small freezer bags. Freeze for up to 4 months. To use, allow it to thaw and then reheat as above.
This is a great way to fill up your freezer with ready-cooked vegetables that can be warmed up when you need them.
FAQ
The bitter taste is common amongst all members of the brassica family (including Brussels sprouts). This is due to the presence of compounds called glucosinolates, which are part of the plant's natural defence mechanism.
Glucosinolates are water-soluble, so blanching the spring greens (as we do in this recipe) is a great way to get rid of the bitterness.
A great way to use leftovers (apart from warming them up for another meal) is to make fritters. Form balls of cold spring green mash in your hands, flatten them to form a patty shape and dip them in flour. Fry on moderate heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side in sunflower or other vegetable oil until nicely browned. These fritters have a taste similar to that of bubble and squeak and are perfect for serving with a fried egg for breakfast.
Save for later
If you would like to try this spring green potato mash, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
Visit my vegetable recipes page for other ideas for side dishes. Here are a few you might enjoy:
📋The recipe
Spring green potato mash
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Large saucepan with lid
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Colander
- Potato peeler
- Potato masher
Ingredients
- 1 pound / 450 grams spring greens
- 1 pound / 450 grams potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 large onion peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon / 15 grams butter
- 2 tablespoons / 30 ml single cream
Instructions
- To remove the vein from the spring greens: lay the leaf on a chopping board and slice it out using a sharp knife. Place the cleaned leaves into a bowl of cold water and rinse well to remove any dirt or grit.1 pound / 450 grams spring greens
- Take a few leaves at a time, and lay them one on top of the other. Using a sharp knife, cut the leaves into half-inch-wide slices.
- Place the sliced spring greens into a saucepan and add one cup of cold water. Do not add salt at this stage. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes then drain the spring greens in a colander.
- Return the drained spring greens to a saucepan, add the potatoes and onions, season with salt and cover with cold water. Cover the pan with a lid, bring to a boil and boil until the potatoes are soft enough to mash. This will take 10 to 15 minutes depending on how large you cut the potatoes.1 pound / 450 grams potatoes, 1 large onion, 1 teaspoon salt
- Drain the potatoes and spring greens and add the butter, cream and plenty of ground black pepper. Mash well with a potato masher. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and black pepper according to taste.1 tablespoon / 15 grams butter, 2 tablespoons / 30 ml single cream, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Transfer the mashed spring greens to a serving dish and serve hot as a side with your favourite roast.
Notes
- Do take the time to remove the thick vein from the larger leaves. It makes a huge difference to the final taste.
- Don't be tempted to skip the step of draining the blanched greens as this step removes any lingering bitterness.
- Add the salt only with the second lot of water, ie when adding the potatoes.
- Don't skimp when adding the freshly ground black pepper - it really does add a heap of flavour.
- Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator and reheated either in a saucepan on the hob or in the microwave.
- The spring green potato mash freezes beautifully too. Allow it to come to room temperature and pack it into meal-sized portions in small freezer bags. Freeze for up to 4 months. To use, allow it to thaw and then reheat as above.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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