Champ
Mashed potatoes folded through with finely-sliced spring onions that have been steeped in hot milk. The milk goes onion-mild and herbal; the mash takes that flavour, gets generous butter, and is served with a well of melted butter pooling in the middle. Northern Ireland's everyday potato dish.
Overview
Spring onions infuse hot milk for 10 minutes off the heat. Floury potatoes boil and dry; everything mashes together with a generous amount of butter. The classic finish: a hollow scooped out of the centre of the mound on each plate, filled with melting butter.
Ingredients
- 1 kg floury potatoes (Maris Piper, King Edward; peeled and cubed)
- 250 ml whole milk
- 1 large bunch spring onions (12-14; thinly sliced, white and green parts)
- 100 g unsalted butter (plus more to serve)
- salt
- pepper
Method
Stage 1 - Steep the milk
- Put the milk and spring onions in a small pan; bring just to a simmer.
- Off the heat, cover and rest 10 minutes - the onions soften and infuse the milk.
Stage 2 - Potatoes
- Boil the potatoes in salted water 15-18 minutes until completely tender.
- Drain; return to the dry pan; cover with a tea towel for 5 minutes.
Stage 3 - Mash
- Add 80 g of the butter to the potatoes; mash until smooth.
- Pour in the warm milk and spring onions; stir to combine.
- Season generously with salt and white pepper.
Stage 4 - Serve
- Pile into individual bowls or one big bowl.
- Press a deep well in the centre with the back of a spoon.
- Drop a knob of butter into the well; let it melt.
- Eat by working the butter outward from the centre.
Notes
- Don't boil the milk: A simmer extracts the onion flavour without scalding. Keep the heat low.
- Generous butter: Champ is butter-forward. Anything less than 80 g feels mean.
- Mash texture: Should be smooth, not gluey. Use a potato ricer or a hand masher; avoid food processors.
Storage
- Best fresh. Leftover champ refrigerates 2 days; reheat in a buttered pan with a splash of milk.
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