A couple of years ago when we still lived in Ireland, we took a trip to Carlingford Lough, a small seaside town near the Northern Irish boarder. Carlingford is a really pretty scenic place to visit and we went kayaking and stayed the night in a local hotel. The town is know for it’s great fish and we were really looking forward to dining at a local restaurant that evening. Our waitress took our order and asked us if we wanted any potatoes on the side, to which we said ‘yes’, and she nodded and said ‘dead on’. It became apparent as we talked more to the waitress that ‘dead on’ was her way of saying ‘great’. It’s just one of those strange local sayings that people say in this part of Ireland. Everything that evening was ‘dead on’, the fish was excellent and the potatoes were amazing. They were simply some mashed potatoes, grilled with copious amounts of butter and cheese, but they tasted so good. So, after our little mini break in Carlingford, we decided to recreate this potato dish at home, and we have been making it for years now. We are always modifying and changing it, but this recipe is my favorite so far. I now add panko breadcrumbs and fried onions to it, which makes it even more indulgent. We never knew what to call this mashed potato concoction, so it became known as Dead on Mash. It’s ridiculously good, and could almost be eaten on its own. It’s pretty calorific but it’s definitely worth it once in awhile.
Ingredients
- 2 large potatoes /700g (russet/ baking potatoes work best) peeled and chopped into quarters
- ½ a small onion, peeled and diced
- ½ tablespoon of olive oil
- 60g of cheddar (Dubliner is best), grated
- 150ml of milk
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- pepper and salt, to taste
- A pinch of grated nutmeg (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of panko breadcrumbs
Method
- Steam the peeled and chopped potatoes for about 15 – 20 minutes until soft and tender.
- As the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. When the oil is hot, sauté the diced onions until they are soft and golden. Take off the heat and leave aside.
- Mash the cooked potatoes using a potato masher or [amazon-product text=”potato ricer” type=”text”]B00004OCJQ[/amazon-product] I prefer a ricer as it ensures your mash potato will be completely lump free, and it’s so much more fun using a potato ricer 🙂
- Add most of the cheese (reserving about a tablespoon for the top), the milk, butter, and mix together with a wooden spoon.
- Next, add the cooked onions and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg if you have some.
- Preheat the grill to low heat.
- Spoon the mashed potato into an oven proof dish. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the potatoes followed by the panko breadcrumbs.
- Place the dish under the grill and heat until golden and bubbling on top. Keep a close eye on it, as it will brown very quickly. Once cooked, serve straight away.
