Champ Potatoes

Champ is one of Ireland’s iconic side dishes, basically buttery mashed potatoes with a generous handful of chopped scallions stirred through. Picture a snow-white mound of mashed russets with little flecks of bright green throughout and a melted pool of butter sitting in a well at the top. That’s how it’s served on a proper Irish dinner plate.

This version takes the microwave shortcut, which sounds wrong for a traditional dish but actually works brilliantly. Russet potatoes cook covered with just 2 tablespoons of water, steaming themselves tender in 15 to 18 minutes without losing flavor to a pot of boiling water. The starch stays where it belongs (in the potato), giving you a fluffier mash than the boil-and-drain method.

Use plenty of butter and don’t skimp on the salt. Half a cup of chopped scallions sounds aggressive against four potatoes, but the green onion bite is what makes champ champ. Anything less and you’ve just got plain mashed potatoes.

The milk should go in warm, not cold, so it doesn’t shock the hot potatoes and turn the mash gluey. A quick microwave heating step at the end pulls everything together.

Pro Tips

• Use russets or another high-starch potato; waxy potatoes (red, fingerling) turn gummy when mashed.
• Beat with a fork or potato masher, not a hand mixer or food processor; over-mixed potato mash turns into wallpaper paste.
• Make a well in the center of each serving and drop a fresh pat of butter into it; the traditional Irish presentation, and it works.
• Cut potatoes into uniform 3-piece chunks as the recipe suggests; uneven sizes cook unevenly and you get raw centers.

Variations

• Stir in a tablespoon of grated horseradish for a sharp, sinus-clearing bite.
• Sub leeks for the scallions during their fall season; the mellower allium flavor is sometimes traditional in champ.
• Add a handful of shredded sharp cheddar for a richer, more decadent take that crosses into colcannon territory.