Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes)
Boxty, a classic Irish potato pancake, is a traditional Irish potato dish that is fried in a skillet. Serve this dish for St. Patrick’s Day with savory toppings. This easy recipe is served at breakfast with bacon and eggs and is part of a full Irish fry up.
Servings: 6 six-inch pancakes
Calories: 405kcal
Ingredients
- 3 medium russet potatoes mashed
- 3 medium russet potatoes grated
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar optional
- 4 tablespoons bacon grease 1 for batter, 3 for frying
Instructions
- Scrub 3 potatoes, and place in a pot of cold water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Remove the lid and reduce the heat to simmer. Every 5 minutes check if the potatoes are done with a fork. Once soft enough, remove and allow to cool on a plate for 10 minutes. Remove the peel and mash while still warm. Cover and chill for a minimum of 3 hours or use leftover mashed potatoes.
- Scrub and peel 3 potatoes. Using a box grater, grate the potato over a clean kitchen towel. Wring the towel tightly to squeeze out the extra water over a bowl.
- Place the grated potato and cooled mashed potato in a large bowl and mix together with your hand, then add the flour, baking soda, salt, black pepper, sugar, and mix well.
- Add 1 tablespoon of bacon grease (or melted butter) and mix in well before pouring in the buttermilk. Stir to combine. If you want a thin batter, pour in more buttermilk to get the consistency you want for the batter. Let the batter rest for 20 minutes.
- In a cast iron skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of bacon grease (or butter) over medium high heat until shimmering, pour in the potato batter, using a spoon to spread it around to get your desired thickness. Lower the heat to medium low. Cook 4 minutes each side for a ¼ inch thick pancake. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Irish potato pancakes take longer to cook then American pancakes because of the raw grated potato.
- Boxty or Irish potato pancakes taste best when served immediately to keep their crispness. They lose their appeal when they are soggy. Serve with your choice of savory toppings, such as chives, bacon, poached egg, sausage and sour cream. (They're similar in taste to hash browns.)
Notes
- Boxty or Irish potato pancake batter can be thick like American pancakes or thin like French crepes depending on the amount of buttermilk that is used.
- Irish potato pancakes are also served in some areas of Ireland as an alternative to brown soda bread, which is part of the Ulster fry up (a full Irish breakfast).
- If you are making lots of Irish potato pancakes, keep the cooked ones warm in a low oven (180°F) while you fry up the rest of the batter, but they taste best right off the griddle when they are crisp.
Nutrition
Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 1003mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 101IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 3mg
