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Boxty (Irish Potato Cakes)

March 11, 2012 by The Runaway Spoon 7 Comments

There was a pub I frequented when I was a graduate student in England.  I will admit I didn’t eat there as much as my friends and I took a study break for last call at the bar. But they did serve food.  It wasn’t gourmet, it wasn’t even all that great, but they did have these potato cakes that I was very fond of.  They were cheap and filling, which are two of the top criteria for any student’s good food list.  It was only many years later, when I concerned myself primarily in recipe reading and research, that I came across boxty, and realized it was the same dish I’d eaten those years ago. I’ve since searched them out at pubs that do specialize in good food, and found the principle was pretty much the same.

My research revealed that boxty (pronounced bach-shtee) is a classic Irish dish.  A potato cake made with mashed and grated potatoes, often using leftover mash and that last potato in the drawer.  I follow the traditional method I’ve read in recipes over the years, but I add the bite of green onions, as is traditional in Champ, the classic Irish mashed potato dish.  And, as usual, I prefer the tang of buttermilk. Boxty aren’t pretty, but they are tasty.  The creamy mashed potatoes with the texture of the grated potatoes sets them apart from most other versions of potato cake.  I honestly can’t remember how they were served at that pub, but I have since had them as part of a “full English (or Irish)” breakfast, with bacon, sausage, tomatoes and egg all fried in the same pan.  I love them with a good pat of butter melting on top, but they make an excellent side dish, and would be brilliant with corned beef and cabbage or soaking up the gravy from a stew.

Boxty

Irish Potato Cakes

2 pounds (3 to 4 large) baking potatoes

3 spring onions, white and light green part, chopped

¾ cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ Tablespoon kosher salt

4 Tablespoons butter

Heat the oven to 200° and line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Peel two of the potatoes and cut large pieces.  Place the chunks in a large saucepan, salt generously, and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook the potatoes uncovered until fork tender, about 10 minutes.  Halfway through the cooking time, drop in the chopped green onions.  When the potatoes are soft, strain them through a colander and return to the pan.  Mash them with ¼ cup of the buttermilk until they are smooth.  Set aside to cool slightly.

While the potatoes are cooling, peel and grate the remaining potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and place on a clean teal towel.  Gather the towel into a ball and squeeze out as much moisture from the grated potatoes as possible.

Beat the remaining ½ cup of buttermilk and the egg together in the measuring jug.  Fold the grated potatoes into the mashed potatoes and green onions.  Fold in the buttermilk mixture, flour, and salt until incorporated. You should have a pretty stiff batter.  You can add a bit more flour if needed.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium heat.  Add enough butter to lightly coat the bottom when melted. Drop 3 mounds (about 1/4 cup each) of the batter into the pan and flatten each to about 1/4 inch thick. Cook until the pancake bottoms are golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes more. Place on a baking sheet and set in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter. Serve warm.

Makes 12 – 16

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Filed Under: Breakfast And Brunch, Fruit and Vegetables, Holiday Cooking, Sides, Snacks And Starters, St. Patrick's Day, Vegetables Tagged With: buttermilk, green onion, Irish, potatoes, St. Patrick's Day

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. RedGirl says

    March 11, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    My grandma used to make boxty (I didin’t know that’s how it is spelled). I’ve never made them myself, but I am going to try. What a memory!

  2. Colleen @ Culinary Colleen says

    March 11, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    I love boxty! One of my favorite restaurants puts chicken and broccoli in a mustard cream sauce over them. They’re to die for. Thanks for the recipe!

  3. Smalltown Me says

    March 11, 2012 at 10:59 pm

    I’ve bookmarked this for the next time I have leftover mashed potatoes. Which will probably be in time for St. Patrick’s day.

  4. flour power says

    March 12, 2012 at 9:31 am

    Sounds great. How long will they keep and can you freeze the cakes?

  5. Carol Penn-Romine says

    March 12, 2012 at 12:28 pm

    Polish off a plate of boxty & you can conquer the back-40 all by yourself. Don’t forget the Guinness. Slainte!

Trackbacks

  1. Potato Leek Soup Recipe with Pesto Croutons – to celebrate Green Cuisine | Apron Strings says:
    March 12, 2012 at 12:52 am

    […] never made Boxty Cakes, but when I saw the Runaway Spoon’s, I want to […]

  2. Boxty - Irish Potato Pancakes - Never Enough Thyme says:
    February 17, 2019 at 1:58 pm

    […] Boxty (Irish Potato Cakes) from The Runaway Spoon […]

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I'm P.C. I think I am like most people. Somewhere in the middle between food snob and food schlub. Just being in the kitchen makes me happy. I live, mostly in my kitchen, in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

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