Champ - mash with spring onions (scallions)

This dish is an extremely simple side dish originally from Northern Ireland (where nettle tops, parsley or peas are sometimes added) and has the most amazing name guaranteed to get children excited about their dinner. Also known as poundies.
Closely related to the more famous colcannon.

"There was an old women who lived in a lamp,
She had no room to beetle her champ"


1Kg peeled potatoes cut in half
10 spring onions
200ml full fat milk
Salt/pepper
300g butter

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add potatoes, bring back to boil and simmer for 20 mins.
• You will know when they are done when you stick a knife through one and it slides off back into the pot
• Drain into a colander and let steam for few minutes to reduce the water on them.
• Return to the dry pot and start mashing. The more you mash the smoother it will be. Traditionally a wooden masher named a beetle was used (see rhyme above)
• In a separate pot heat milk and add chopped scallions (the more the better I say, start with 2 cups chopped). Let them simmer for a few minutes but make sure they stay green.
• Add butter 200g to the mixture then add all of this to the pot with the mashed potatoes and fold well. Season with generous salt and pepper pinches.
• Serve in a bowl with a well in the middle to add the remaining butter to melt and form a pool at the centre.

I had champ with kotlet z indyka (similar to turkey escalope) Champ should be like a firm mash but I added a lot more milk to make it runnier and therefore didn't need a sauce.