The Irish know potatoes and they appreciate a bit of butter every now and again. My mom just returned from a trip back from Ireland and Northern Ireland and she came back singing the praises of a childhood dish long forgotten, champ. After she described it to me, I had to try it for myself, and it is good…decadent, but so so good.

Irish Champ Recipe

• A couple of pounds of potatoes
• 1 cup of whole milk, or a mixture of milk and cream
• 1 bunch of scallions (green onions)
• ¼ to 1/3 of a cup of butter
• Salt and pepper

1. Peel, cut into chunks and boil your potatoes until tender, as you would for making conventional mashed potatoes. You can leave the skins on, if you prefer a more rustic preparation.
2. Meanwhile, chop the scallions finely, white and green parts, and add to the milk in a sauce pan. Bring the milk up to a gentle simmer and let percolate for a few minutes. Add in about half of the butter to the milk. Hold warm until the potatoes are ready. (keep the remaining half of the butter out of the fridge while you wait for the potatoes to boil – you don’t want it too hard for the next step)
3. When the potatoes have softened, drain well and mash thoroughly. Once mashed, add in the milk – scallion – butter mixture and mix completely. Season with salt to taste.
4. Ladle a mound of champ onto each serving plate and make a small depression in the top of each mound of potatoes. In each little depression add a knob of the softened butter, letting it melt into a little butter island surrounded by a sea of rich, green onion infused mashed potatoes.

This goes so well as an accompaniment to any kind of roast beef or pork, as a part of a hearty meal on a cold day.