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cally

Ireland: Champ (Cally, Poundies)

A bowl of champ

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...)

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