When I’m developing recipes, I usually cook during the mornings and early afternoon, so that I can capture the photos using natural light. This usually means the food is done around mid afternoon. I style and shoot the dish, and then it gets put away until dinner. Well, when I made this Champ I had every intention of serving it as a side for the pork chops I had brining. Unfortunately they didn’t make it that long. I’m not really sure what to compare it to, but I grabbed a spoon to taste a bite, and before I knew it, I’d plowed my way through nearly a pound of potatoes, destroying the Champ, along with my appetite. It was rich and buttery with just a hint of nutty funk from the gorgonzola. The scallions kept the potatoes from becoming too cloying, while adding a pleasant sweetness that blossomed into a savory umami on my tongue. I know a lot of folks don’t add cheese to their Champ, and if they do, they’re certainly not adding a fancy Italian cheese, but trust me on this one, this combination is irresistibly good. Any creamy blue cheese will work, but I especially like using Gorgonzola Dolce because it has a mild nuttiness and full-bodied creaminess that goes beautifully with the sweet scallions and potatoes. The scallions do such a great job at smoothing over the funky notes of the cheese that even people who hate blue cheese will eat this and say “YUM!”. For the best results use a potato ricer or food mill to mash the potatoes. This ensures they get evenly mashed, without making the Champ gummy from over agitating the starches.
📖 Recipe
