Ireland: Champ (Cally, Poundies)

Yet another way to deal with the ubiquitous potato, and much beloved of (or hated by) generations of Irish kids who were fed it as a stand-alone supper dish, in recent years champ has been enjoying a new lease on life as a trendy side dish in upmarket European and North American restaurants.

Also known as cally, or poundies, or by various other names such as "thump" or "bruisy" depending on which part of Ireland you're in, champ is the most frequently seen Irish version of mashed potatoes. The exact source of the name "champ" is uncertain, but it may be derived from an old Scottish dialect word meaning to mash or crush.

Traditionally, champ was made in bulk. After the potatoes were boiled in their skins, the pot would be drained and the potatoes returned to it and put back over the heat briefly to "dry in their skins" -- this brief steaming making them more floury and tender. They would then be hastily peeled and put back into the pot, which was then removed to a hole or depression dug in the ground outside the house, or sometimes -- in the time of thatched houses -- to a hole dug in the rammed earth of the kitchen floor. (This is the origin of the word "pothole".) (Click "read more" for the rest of the story and the recipe...)

Once the pot was braced in the pothole, the potatoes in it would be mashed with a large wooden pestle called a "beetle". This took some space and exertion, as -- during the immediate pre-famine period when people were living largely on the potato as a daily staple -- it wouldn't have been unusual to allow nearly seven pounds of potatoes per person. The best-known poem about champ refers to this process:

There was an old woman
who lived in a lamp,
she had no room
to beetle her champ.
She's up'd with her beetle
and broke the lamp,
and now she has room
to beetle her champ.

Once mashed, the potatoes were seasoned -- normally with green onions or leeks, but occasionally other sharply-flavored green vegetables in season, such as nettle tops, chives, onions or even peas, would find their way into the mix. Scallions, though, seem to have been the favorite. They would have been chopped and simmered in hot milk with some salt and pepper, and then this mixture would have been added to the already-mashed potatoes and further beetled until it was velvety smooth.

Steaming hot, the champ would then have been served out in bowls with a well made in the middle. In the well, a big lump of fresh-churned butter would be placed, or else butter already melted would be poured into the well. The champ would then be eaten by dipping each forkful into the melted butter.

In much more recent times, the endless search of restaurateurs for new dishes has brought them around to champ, and now "designer champ" is turning up all over the place as a high-end side dish, containing everything from chipotle chiles to young hop shoots and baby asparagus. But the original, relatively uncomplicated recipe has tremendous value as side-dish comfort food or a simple main dish.

The recipe (to serve about four):

• 2 pounds potatoes

• Salt to taste
• 2/3 cup milk
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4-8 tablespoons butter

Wash the potatoes and boil in their skins in salted water until tender. Drain and dry over a low heat, covered with a cloth: then peel and mash well.

Put the milk and chopped scallions in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat immediately and simmer for a few minutes. Gradually add the milk and scallions to the mashed potatoes and blend well to make a soft but not wet or sloppy mixture. Heat four bowls or plates and split the mashed potatoes among them, pressing a well into the top of each serving. Put a lump of butter in each well, and serve immediately.

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