Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!
When I posed the question on Facebook as to what Irish dish they wanted to see on the blog, one of my kind readers suggested I make Champ!
Of course I give the people what they want so here goes…
and by people I mean the one person that actually responded.
[insert awkward crickets here]
But you know I can’t just put out any ol’ recipe so I’m going to put my little spin on it while trying to keep it as traditional as possible.
So here goes nothin’!
Traditionally Champ is a very simple dish made out of very simple ingredients including potatoes, milk, green onions, & butter.
When I heard this ingredient list all I could think was:
Butter?
Potatoes?
Onions?
Oh, & by the way, they also call this dish “poundies”.
That was it.
Anything that has names as awesome as “champ” & “poundies” is gettin’ made.
Champ is kind of like mashed potatoes. The only difference I noticed is that these potatoes are made with green onion that is simmered in milk then added to the potatoes before throwing a whole lot of butter in to make it extra creamy.
I added a little twist to the recipe by adding two crushed garlic cloves to the milk & green onions in order to give it a slight garlic flavor without overpowering the dish & making it a garlic dish vs a potato/onion dish.
Sometimes subtle is nice.
The traditional way to present this dish is to serve it family style, make a well in the middle of the potatoes, put a pat of butter in said well, & let each person serve themselves while taking a bit of the melted butter with them.
And then sometimes subtle is overrated.
mmm…butter.
Enjoy!
Garlic Infused Irish Champ
Ingredients
- 2 large russet potatoes
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled & cubed
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 3 large green onions, green & white parts, sliced thinly
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed (use the back of the knife to smash them but leave them whole)
- 2 oz salted butter, cut into cubes
- salt & butter to taste
Instructions
- Wash, peel, & cube potatoes. Place in a 2 quart saucepan & cover with water. Add a pinch of salt to the water & boil 20-30 minutes until tender.
- While the potatoes boil, place milk, green onions, & garlic in another saucepan & bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally. Once the milk boils, turn off heat & set aside. Allow garlic to steep in the milk but remove before adding milk to potatoes.
- Once potatoes are tender, drain the water & transfer potatoes to a bowl. Using the back of a fork or potato masher, mash lightly.
- Using a handheld mixer, whip potatoes on low while slowly adding the milk/green onion mixture. Continue whipping on low & add butter until fully incorporated.
- Add salt & pepper to taste.
- To serve, make a well in the center of the champ & place a pat of butter in the well. Garnish with more sliced green onion & serve immediately.
- TIP: To ensure the butter melts into the potato/milk mixture, make sure the potatoes & milk are HOT or butter will not melt properly.
© Patricia's PattiCakes