Description
Boxty are traditional Irish potato pancakes made with a combination of cold mashed potatoes and grated raw potatoes. This recipe delivers crispy, golden pancakes with a tender interior, perfect for breakfast or as a satisfying side dish.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Potatoes
- 2 cups cold mashed potatoes (starchy variety such as russets)
- 2 cups grated raw potatoes (starchy variety such as russets)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk, plus more as needed
For Frying
- Butter, bacon grease, or lard for frying (or oil for vegan option)
Optional Add-ins
- Chopped green onions/scallions
- Shredded white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the potatoes: Boil, drain, and mash the potatoes, then chill them until cold or overnight for best results.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Prepare grated potatoes: Grate the raw potatoes, place them in a clean cotton kitchen towel, and wring out as much liquid as possible to prevent sogginess.
- Combine batter: In a large mixing bowl, mix the cold mashed potatoes, grated potatoes, and the flour mixture. Add 1 1/2 cups buttermilk and stir to combine. Add more buttermilk if the mixture is too thick or dry.
- Heat the fat: Heat butter, bacon grease, lard, or oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
- Cook the boxty: Scoop the potato mixture into the pan forming individual patties. Press down to flatten them. Fry until the bottoms are nicely browned, then flip and brown the other sides. Adjust heat as necessary to cook thoroughly without burning.
- Keep warm: Transfer cooked boxty to a warm oven to keep hot while frying the remaining pancakes.
- Serve: Serve immediately while hot, optionally garnished with green onions or cheddar cheese.
Notes
- The traditional method involves wringing the potato water from the grated potatoes into a bowl, allowing the starch to settle for about 30 minutes, then pouring off the liquid and adding the starch back to the batter to improve crispiness.
- If you skip the starch settling step, reduce the buttermilk slightly to keep the batter the right consistency.
- Use starchy potato varieties like russets for best texture and flavor.
- You can fry boxty in oil to make the recipe vegan-friendly.
- Adjust the frying temperature carefully to ensure the potatoes cook through without burning the exterior.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pancake
- Calories: 200 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
