Traditional Irish Champ Recipe (2024)

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Traditional Irish Champ Recipe. With only five ingredients, this authentic Irish potato recipe is both easy and tasty. You can easily feed a crowd with this traditional Irish dish. Perfect for St. Patricks Day!

Want to go to Ireland? Check out Planning a Trip to Ireland!

Traditional Irish Champ Recipe (1)

May you live as long as you want, never want as long as you live.

– Irish Blessing
Traditional Irish Champ Recipe (2)

Irish recipes have a special place in my heart.

I have always been intrigued by the origin of food, cultivating methods and cuisine. Oh! The people behind these methods, traditions and techniques too. Don’t forget about the people.

If you ever get a chance to visit an old kitchen, even if it’s only 50 years old, in its original condition, take a deep breath through your nose. The smells you sense and the stains you see tell a vivid story. Families were fed, children were raised and holiday feasts were prepared in these kitchens, both extravagant and modest.

Learn more about what you will find in an Irish Pantry.

Can you imagine!? I can. It always brings a smile to my face. If you visit thrift stores and make a dash to the kitchen section or have an estate sales alert app on your phone, then you are MY PEOPLE my friend. Let’s have lunch.

Today is Champ Day.

I haven’t gone on a Rocky Netflix binge or watched the ice skating olympic trials. Not that kind of champ, although I would totally do either of those.

Today is looking back, celebrating Irish cuisine in all of its rawness and remembering day.

The Irish, they are tough, for good reason.

Irish cuisine took a beating through its history. The English Conquest stripped Ireland of its cuisine by diverting their agricultural goods to England to feed its conquering armies. At times, the only food the Irish could afford to eat were potatoes, the reason why todays menu of Irish cuisine almost always includes potatoes. It is also one of three reasons why a third of the Irish population perished during the Great Hunger, or as we know it on this side of the pond, the Irish Potato Famine.

The other two reasons as I understand it include a monoculture potato crop and a potato blight. This means there wasn’t enough genetic diversity in the potato to fight off a potato blight.

Hopefully we can learn and not repeat the mistakes of the past. That’s the purpose of studying history isn’t it?

What is Irish Champ?

Irish Champ is a simple Irish food made of potatoes, milk, green onions, butter and cheese. This is similar to Colcannon which uses cabbage instead of scallions.

If you can make mashed potatoes from scratch, you can make Champ. One of the things I love about recipes like this is that you can scale up or down without really using a recipe. Just cook as many potatoes as you have mouths to feed, add some dairy and onions and everybody is happy.

Another thing I really like about this recipe, it’s made of potatoes! Some people are crazy over noodles or pasta, for me it’s potatoes and cheese. This dish has both.

How do you make Irish Champ?

You make this just like you would mashed potatoes. Peel and chop the potatoes, boil in water until tender, mash with remaining ingredients and serve. Traditionally this dish was served with cheese so I add this in the end. A good sharp, assertive cheese is perfect.

More Irish Recipes

Try these recipes the next time you want to try some traditional Irish food, definitely save this for St. Patricks Day.

  • Colcannon – A traditional mashed potato recipe made with cabbage or kale.
  • Boxty – A potato pancake similar to a latke.
  • Irish Stew – Lamb and potato stew, hearty and tasty.
  • Irish Soda Bread – A dense, easy bread that bakes quickly without the need for rise times.
  • Champ – Another amazing mashed potato recipe with green onions, buttermilk, butter and cheese.

Do you have any favorite potato or Irish recipes? Please share, do tell!

Bon appetite or Dea Mhaith!

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What people are saying about this recipe

“Made this for a work potluck. Went quickly (first time I had nothing left at a potluck!) I had even made extra. People were thanking me for bringing it.”

-Julianne

“Will definitely make this ! Looks wonderful!!

-Kristy

Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and comment below! Take a picture and tag us @FusionCraftiness #FusionCraftiness on Instagram for a chance to be featured in our Insta Stories:)

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Traditional Irish Champ Recipe (8)

Traditional Irish Champ Recipe

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Traditional Irish Champ Recipe. With only five ingredients, this authentic Irish potato recipe is both easy and tasty. You can easily feed a crowd with this traditional Irish dish. Perfect for St. Patricks Day!

Ingredients

  • 3 lb starchy potatoes, peeled and
  • 4 Tbs butter plus a little more for garnish
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 6 green onions (scallions), chopped, plus a little more for garnish
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 4 oz shredded sharp cheese like Dunmore, Asiago, aged Cheddar, Comte etc.

Instructions

  1. Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender.
  2. Drain potatoes and return to same pot off heat.
  3. Add next 5 ingredient and mash until desired consistency.
  4. Serve in bowls, make a shallow well and place a pat of butter, sprinkle with additional green onions ad cheese.
  5. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5Serving Size: 1.5 cups
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 581Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 823mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 23g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

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Traditional Irish Champ Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the Irish champ made of? ›

Champ (brúitín in Irish) is an Irish dish of mashed potatoes with scallions, butter and milk.

What's the difference between colcannon and champ? ›

What is the difference between Colcannon and Champ? Both Irish dishes, Champ is mashed potatoes with chopped spring onions (scallions) and milk. Colcannon is Champ with the addition of cabbage and sometimes some herbs.

What is Irish colcannon made of? ›

The word colcannon is derived from the Gaelic term cal ceannann, which means "white-headed cabbage" — the vegetable most commonly mixed with potatoes in this dish. It's often served alongside Irish meats, and is made by combining potatoes and greens (usually cabbage, but kale and other leafy greens are sometimes used).

What is the history of the Irish champ? ›

Champ became popular in Ireland as a simple yet nutritious food that people could afford during the times of famine and political upheavals. The basic idea behind the champ was a simple and delicious dish that could be easily made using the ingredients that are available in all seasons.

What does champ mean in Ireland? ›

Irish champ is similar to colcannon but is made by blending green onions or scallions with creamy mashed potatoes. It's great on its own, served steaming hot with extra butter on top, but it's also a perfect side dish for good quality sausages. Submitted by Ita. Updated on January 10, 2024.

What is colcannon and champ made of? ›

They're very similar, though champ recipes tend to feature spring onions (scallions) alone, while colcannon adds cabbage, kale, or leeks.

How do you eat Boxty? ›

Serve your Boxty with:
  1. Poached Eggs and Crispy Bacon.
  2. Poached Smoked Haddock and parsley sauce.
  3. Smoked Salmon and Sour Cream.
  4. Smoked Bacon and Melted Cheese.

Why is colcannon important to Ireland? ›

We love the traditions of Ireland, especially when it comes to the food! Colcannon is a hearty dish that has been eaten on Halloween night for years. Traditionally, a ring was hidden in the dish, and whoever was to find it would be likely to marry in the upcoming year!

Why do the Irish eat corned beef and cabbage? ›

The Irish immigrants also realized that cabbage was a more readily available vegetable in America than in Ireland, where it was traditionally a fall and winter vegetable. So they combined the corned beef with cabbage to create a hearty, filling meal that was reminiscent of their homeland.

What did the Irish eat instead of potatoes? ›

Before the introduction of potatoes, the main staple food in Ireland was grains, particularly oats. Irish people also relied on vegetables such as turnips, cabbage, and onions, as well as dairy products like butter and cheese, and meat from cows, pigs, and sheep.

What do the Irish eat instead of corned beef? ›

According to Regina Sexton, food and culinary historian and programme manager, Postgraduate Diploma in Irish Food Culture, University College Cork, corned beef and cabbage is not a dish much known in Ireland. What the Irish actually eat is bacon and cabbage. "A traditional dinner is bacon, potatoes, and cabbage.

Is champ Northern Irish? ›

Champ is made with potatoes, milk, butter and scallions (aka spring onions). It's more common in Northern Ireland/Ulster. Champ is served as a side dish to a main meal, or at breakfast with fried eggs and perhaps sausages. Champ is also known in some areas as Poundies.

Where does champ originate from? ›

Champ is a very traditional creamy mashed potato dish with scallions (spring onions) from Ireland. The creamy mashed potato is flecked with the green of the onions and is served in a deep dish, (often served on the side of stews and 'fry-ups').

What is champ mash made of? ›

Champ is a traditional Irish recipe which we make using our finest home grown potatoes, gently steam cooking and mashing them to perfection before adding freshly chopped spring onion for flavour. Raw Ingredients: Potato (91%), Milk, Butter (Milk), Spring Onion (3%), Salt, White Pepper.

What is the difference between champ and mash? ›

The difference is ingredients and preparation method. Champ is smooth mashed potatoes with spring onions finely chopped and combined. Colcannon is similar but the mash is rougher and cabbage is combined with it. It is normally made with green spring cabbage, but also can have spring onions.

What are Irish potatoes called? ›

Solanum tuberosum (Irish Potato, Irish Potatoes, Pomme de Terre, Potato, Potatoes, White Potato, White Potatoes) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.

What is Pandy in Ireland? ›

Pandy, for the record, is made from potatoes, Irish butter equal in volume to a lazy farmer's dung heap, finely chopped ingins (onions), and full-on full-fat milk as thick as Santa's waist.

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