Description
Boxty, traditional Irish potato pancakes, combine cold mashed potatoes and grated raw potatoes into a crispy, golden pancake. With simple ingredients like flour, buttermilk, and baking soda, these savory pancakes are fried to perfection and offer a taste of Ireland in every bite.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Potatoes
- 2 cups cold mashed potatoes (made from starchy russet potatoes)
- 2 cups grated raw potatoes (starchy russet variety)
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; vegan alternatives: oil such as vegetable or canola)
Optional Add-ins
- Chopped green onions/scallions
- Shredded white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the Potatoes: Boil, drain, and mash the potatoes thoroughly. Chill the mashed potatoes until cold, ideally for 3 hours or overnight for best results.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt; set this mixture aside for later use.
- Grate and Drain Raw Potatoes: Grate the raw potatoes using a coarse grater. Place the grated potatoes in a clean cotton kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible to prevent sogginess.
- Combine Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the cold mashed potatoes, grated and drained raw potatoes, and the dry flour mixture. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk and mix well. Adjust the consistency by adding more buttermilk if the batter feels too thick or dry.
- Heat the Pan: Warm a heavy skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat and add butter, bacon grease, lard, or oil for frying. Allow the fat to heat thoroughly but not smoke.
- Cook the Boxty: Scoop spoonfuls of the potato batter into the pan, shaping each into a flattened patty. Fry until the bottoms are golden brown, then carefully flip to cook the other side until it is equally golden. Control the heat to ensure the pancakes cook evenly inside without burning the outside.
- Keep Warm and Serve: Transfer cooked boxty to a warm oven to keep hot while frying the remaining pancakes. Serve immediately while warm for the best taste and texture.
Notes
- The traditional technique includes wringing the potato water out of the grated potatoes, letting the starch settle for 30 minutes, and adding the starch back into the batter to improve binding and crispiness.
- If you choose to skip recovering the starch, consider reducing the buttermilk slightly to maintain the correct batter consistency.
- For a vegan version, substitute buttermilk with a plant-based buttermilk and use oil instead of animal fats for frying.
- Adding chopped green onions or shredded white cheddar cheese can enhance flavor and texture variations.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pancake
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
