Champ-Irish Mashed Potato

Serves 4   Cooking and prep time: 50 mins

Ingredients

2/3 large potatoes or 2lbs Maris Piper potatoes

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter

Ground black pepper to taste

Thinly sliced green spring onions

Optional – a little diced red onion to add some extra colour

Method

1. Peel, wash and dice the potatoes, then place them in a large pan of water with a pinch of salt and boil for 20 minutes until soft.
2. Drain the water and return the pan to the heat, to dry out the potatoes.
3. In another pan, boil the milk with the sliced onions until the contents are warm.
4. Then mash the potatoes, the rest of the salt and butter until smooth. Stir in the warmed milk and onions and season with the ground pepper.

Top-Tip: For lump-free mash – pour only some of the milk (without any onion) into the potato, then pass all the mashed potato through a plastic sieve.

Return the smooth mashed potato back to the pan, add the rest of the milk and onions and heat up ready to serve piping hot.

Don’t add potatoes to already boiling water as this causes lumps

Don’t use the wrong potatoes as waxy ones do not break down easily.

Don’t add cold butter and cream, it cools the mash down.

Don’t forget your salt in the boiling water