Ingredients
Scallion champ is one of the greatest Irish potato dishes. Soft mashed potatoes, enriched with boiling, onion infused milk and butter.
The potatoes are great with grilled and roast meats, and lots of fish dishes. The left over champ makes excellent potato cakes. The scallions can be replaced with watercress, melted leeks, cooked peas or wild garlic.
- 3lbs / 1.5kg scrubbed potatoes, preferably a flour variety like Golden Wonders
- 4-6oz / 110-160g chopped spring onion or scallion or chives
- 10-12fl oz / 350ml mil
- 2-4oz / 55-110g butter
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Place the potatoes in a saucepan, salt well and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer until tender.
- If the potatoes show signs of breaking before they are cooked, strain off ¾ of the water, replace the lid and finish cooking in the steam.
- While the potatoes are cooking, chop the scallions finely and add to the milk. As soon as the potatoes are cooked, bring the milk to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Peel the potatoes immediately they are cooked. They should still be too hot to handle. Mash to break down the potatoes. I sometimes pass them through a vegetable mouli.
- Add salt and pepper, butter and enough boiling milk and scallions to achieve a soft consistency. Taste and correct seasoning.
- Serve the potatoes in individual bowls or a large dish of choice. If you wish, hide a knob of butter in the mash and it will ooze out when you start to eat them.
Colcannon
- Replace the scallions in the above recipe with 2 pints of finely shredded green cabbage, cooked until tender in boiling salted water.
