A lot of people in Ireland are not familiar with Poundies, it's only made in certain northwest regions but it's similar to Colcannon, Champ, Cally, or Pandy.
The main difference between Poundies and Colcannon is how the dish is served. Colcannon is mixed with cabbage whereas Poundies only has scallions.
Poundies is a traditional Irish recipe, it's extremely cheap to prepare, easy to make, and tastes delicious. It's a perfect dish for a lazy Saturday or when the weather outside is cold and miserable.
Ingredients for making Poundies
- 1lb of Potatoes
- 8-10 scallions, eschalots, shallots or Cibies
- Pint of milk
- 6oz of Irish Butter
How to make Irish Poundies
Preparing the potatoes
Wash all potatoes, ensure to peel all the skin from each one.
Place the cleaned peeled potatoes into a large pot of water and boil them, make sure there is enough water in the pot to cover all potatoes.
Boil the potatoes until they become soft (approx. cook time 40 minutes), and test the softness of the potatoes using a fork.
When the potatoes have been boiled long enough, drain them using a colander or similar draining utensil. Ensure all water is drained from the pot.
Add a spoonful of butter and a little milk to the pot and proceed to mash the potatoes until smooth (it's advisable to use a hand masher over an electronic mixer). To get the best result for mashed potatoes, make sure there is no lumps or hard pieces. Keep mashing, add little dollops of butter so smooth the mash and also some drips of milk. Just keep mashing until you have really smooth mashed potatoes.
Adding spring onions to Poundies is optional however it is recommended. Slice and cut the spring onions into small pieces, mix them into the mashed potatoes.
Building the mash potato volcano
One of the signatures of the Irish Poundies dish is creating a small volcano from the mashed potatoes, not only does this taste delicious the kids love it too.
Do you remember the scene in Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind when Richard Dreyfuss starts shaping his serving of mashed potatoes into a mountain? You are to do the exact same on each plate but don't worry, there isn't any UFO's involved in preparing this dish.
Once you have shaped a mountain from each serving of mash, create a little well in the middle. place a dollop of Irish butter into each one and fill the well with milk.
Now your Poundies are ready serve.
Variations for Poundies
Poundies are delicious served by itself, the butter melts from the heat of the potatoes and the milk adds that little extra. It certainly not uncommon to add a few extra items to the plate just to add to the dish. Here are some recommendation to try.
- Serve with sausages or bacon, and even boiled ham.
- Fry an egg and cover the top of the well.
- Serve with baked beans or peas.
Don't forget to try out the traditional Irish Colcannon recipe.
