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These Irish mashed potatoes, flavoured with tender green onions and butter aka Champ, are a welcome addition to your standard mash recipe! Serve with our delicious Onion Gravy!
This exceptionally creamy mash goes so well with our Catherine Wheel Sausage recipe or Irish Beef Stew flavoured with Guinness.
While Colcannon is a well known Irish recipe, Champ remains relatively obscure outside of Ireland. It’s time we change that because this flavourful mash recipe needs to be explored.
I lean towards potatoes for a side dish on most days of the week. I don’t always follow up on my instinct simply because I realise that my family wasn’t raised on potatoes alone like I was. They crave variety a lot more than I do!
Need for variety is what keeps me researching various ways potatoes could be prepared. It goes without saying that the Irish quite possibly have more than a thousand recipes featuring the beloved spud! Well… them and the Russians!
Mashed Potato Recipes
No matter how developed my taste buds become I will never stop liking creamy mashed potatoes. There is something incredibly soothing and satisfying in a buttery mash!
I have to warm you I like mine with a lot of butter and a little bit of milk. This doesn’t mean I am opposed to other flavours in my mashed potatoes. I do love to experiment with flavours!
This Herb and Garlic Mash is made with roasted garlic and fresh parsley and dill. It’s a reader favourite! If you want to change things up, use a combination of sweet potatoes and swede (rutabaga in the US).
If you want to feel organised and not rushed, try my make-ahead recipe for Baked Mashed Potatoes. I layer them with caramelised onions and mushrooms but you can keep this casserole plain!
Looking for mashed potatoes in a completely different form? And maybe for breakfast? Then lets look again to the Irish, and these satisfying Potato Farls!
My newest obsession is a creamy mash mixed with tender green onions, also known as Champ in Ireland. Green onions go by a few names. Whether you call them scallions, spring onions or green onions, make sure you are using the green parts for most flavour!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- As with all mashed potato recipes, make sure to choose the right kind of potato. What you are looking for is starchy or floury potatoes such as Yukon Gold or Russet in the US or Maris Piper, King Edward, Vivaldi and Desiree in the UK.
- Infuse the milk with the green onion flavour. First bring the milk to a boil, then let the onions steep until needed. Uber flavour!
- Peel and cut the potatoes in similar-sized pieces, so they all cook within the same amount of time.
- Boil them in salted water. It’s never too early to introduce flavour to the dish. Salt is essential!
- Once you drain your potatoes, allow them to steam dry. This little step help to achieve that desirable fluffy texture we all love.
- Mash while the potatoes are still hot, very hot for the best texture. Some people like to use a hand mixer but I prefer a traditional This is an affiliate link.potato masher or a This is an affiliate link.ricer. Stay away from a food processor if you are not after a pot of glue!
- Don’t be stingy with the butter. Mashed potatoes = lots of butter. Otherwise there is no point.
- Always taste at the end and season with salt. Potatoes love salt!
Serving Suggestions
These mashed potatoes will compliment just about any main dish but here are our favourites.
Serve them with this Ribeye Steak, Pork Loin Steaks with Creamy Mushroom Sauce or our famous Chicken Supreme. Personally, I’m a huge fan of serving them with cosy Salisbury Steak!
Mashed potatoes of any sort are also brilliant at soaking up gravy, as everyone who has had a turkey dinner knows well. My classic Homemade Gravy is perfect, or go with Red Onion Gravy for something a little more complex.
Storage and leftovers
You can keep leftover champ in the fridge for 4-5 days, and frozen for up to 3 months. If defrosting, it’s best to let the potatoes completely thaw in the fridge for one day before using.
No need to let leftover mashed potatoes go to waste! Leftovers can be warmed in a microwave, but I’m partial to pan frying with a little oil or butter over medium-high heat. Delicious with fried eggs for breakfast!
They also work beautifully as the base for salmon cakes, allowing you to turn champ into something completely new and different.
More potato side dish recipes
- Parmesan Crusted Potatoes
- Oven Fried Potatoes with Mushrooms and Onions
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese
- Hasselback Potatoes with Gremolata
Irish Mashed Potatoes (Champ Recipe)
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.KitchenAid potato masher
- This is an affiliate link.OXO potato ricer
Ingredients
- 6 medium potatoes , see notes on types of potatoes
- 50ml/1/4 cup whole milk
- 6-8 green onions, green parts only
- 100g/1/2 cup unsalted butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add sliced green onions to milk and bring to a boil at low heat, take off the heat and let the green onions infuse the milk.
- Boil the peeled and quartered potatoes in salted water until very tender. Drain the potatoes and let them steam dry for 2-3 minutes, pour in hot milk with the onions and mash well, add butter and salt and white pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were phenominal; even better than my family’s favorite! Only thing is, I added too much salt. Any recommendations for leftovers to dilute the saltiness?
I am so glad you like them, Katherine! My suggestion would be to make these salmon cakes with the leftovers. Since you will be adding ingredients to them, the saltiness will be more balanced.
Have made this for years, but usually ‘upgrade’ the Champ to Colcannon AKA Irish Mashed Potatoes with the addition of sautéed green cabbage which I consider a game changer! Of course, I also give in to a guilty pleasure when I make, too — extra butter!
These are the best mashed potatoes ever! We couldn’t get enough! 10/10!
Thank you for your review, Jennifer.
This was a delicious way to change up our normal side dish routine. These were creamy (thank you butter!) and loved the addition of green onions. So good!
Thanks so much, Jen!
Using only the greens of the onion keeps this delicious mash Low FODMAP, a fact I am grateful for. It’s so hard to find good, easy, Low FODMAP recipes! Delicious, easy, Low FODMAP… everything I love in a good potato recipe!
Wow, thanks for that info, Betsy!