Boxty 
(Irish potato pancakes)

Boxty in the pan
Image by Pixabay

Boxty, a simple potato pancake, comes from the northern regions of Ireland. It goes well with a breakfast of sausages, bacon and eggs or as a side dish to Irish stew.

A batch of boxty is the perfect way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. Boxty is particularly popular around Halloween.

The word “boxty” is believed to come from the Gaelic bac-stai, where “bac” is a shelf over a “stai,” or open fire, where it was originally cooked.

An old Irish saying goes as follows:

Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan.
If you can’t make boxty, you’ll never get your man.

Boxty

Boxty

Course: BreadsCuisine: Ireland
Makes 6 to 8 pancakes

Boxty, a simple potato pancake, comes from the northern regions of Ireland. It goes well with a breakfast of sausages, bacon and eggs or as a side dish to Irish stew.

Ingredients

  • Potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed — 1/2 pound, or about 1 cup

  • Potatoes, peeled, finely grated and squeezed dry — 1/2 pound

  • All-purpose flour — 3/4 cup

  • Egg, beaten — 1

  • Milk — 1/2 cup

  • Salt and pepper — to season

  • Oil for frying

Directions

  • Mix the potatoes, flour, egg, milk, salt and pepper together well in a large bowl.
  • Heat a generous amount of oil in a skillet or saute pan. Drop about 1/4 cup of the batter at a time into the hot oil and spread out into a round about 1/2-inch thick. Fry until underside browns, then flip and brown the other side.
  • Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the rest of the batter. Finished boxty can be held in a warm oven until serving.

Boxty Notes and Variations

  • Boxty Cake: Preheat oven to 475 °F. Place a greased 8 or 9-inch cake pan or skillet in the oven to get hot. Follow the recipe above, cutting the amount of milk to 1/4 cup. Spread the batter out into the cake pan or skillet and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 400°F and bake for another 45 minutes to an hour. Serve cut in wedges and serve hot.
  • Boxty Dumplings: Drop spoonsful of the batter into simmering stews.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to the batter if you like to make the cakes puff a bit more.
  • Large, plate-sized boxty are often made and folded over meat, fish or vegetable fillings.

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