Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes: An Easy and Cozy Breakfast
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Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes is an Emerald Isle staple and vies with champ and colcannon as a favorite potato dish. It’s often served for breakfast but can make a tasty side any time of the day.
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A perfect St. Patrick’s Day recipe.
While known particularly throughout the midland and northern counties of Cavan, Tyrone, Fermanagh, and Derry, Boxty is found on tables throughout Ireland.
What are Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes?
Easy to make, boxty is a potato pancake that is incredibly delicious and oh-so-cozy.
If you close your eyes you can imagine the green hills of Ireland, of iron skillets, and sizzling bacon, of freshly brewed coffee… and family and friends around the table. Boxty tastes just like that. All that we love about cozy mornings.
Boxty is described as “a potato pancake made with grated potato, flour, baking soda, and buttermilk. Its name likely comes from the Irish arán bocht tí, meaning “poor-house bread,” but it could also come from the word for bakehouse, bácús.”
How to Serve Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes?
We like to top the boxty with sliced scallions, crème fraîche, or even Irish honey if you can find it.
And if you’re wondering if sour cream can be substituted for crème fraîche… yes, it can.
What’s the difference between the two, you ask?
Two things. Sour cream is 20% fat, while crème fraîche is 30% fat. Sour cream typically has additives to stabilize and thicken it, while crème fraîche does not contain any added thickeners. Also, crème fraîche has a thicker texture and is more creamy than tangy.
What to Serve with Boxty
The Telegraph writes that boxty is “best served hot straight from a pan loaded with butter.”
And they say: “It goes well with most dishes but in Ireland, you may find it served with bacon and eggs or given a twist with smoked salmon and crème fraîche.”
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Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes for an Easy and Cozy Breakfast
Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes is an Emerald Isle staple and vies with champ and colcannon as a favorite potato dish. It's often served for breakfast but a can make a tasty side any time of the day.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked potatoes, mashed
- 1 1/2 cups shredded raw potatoes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon buttermilk
- Butter for frying (about 2 tablespoons)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toss grated potatoes with flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Then mix in the mashed potatoes,
- Whisk the egg and buttermilk together and then mix into the potatoes. Be careful not to overmix the batter, which can make the potatoes tough. Add additional buttermilk if needed, but the mixture will be a thick batter.
- Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add butter. Once melted, scoop batter and shape it into a round pancake circle about 2 inches in diameter. Fry until the bottom is golden brown. Flip the pancake and continue to cook until both sides are golden and evenly cooked, about 3-4 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve garnished with sliced scallions, crème fraîche, or even Irish honey, if you can find it.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 119Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 156mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g