Boxty, a traditional Irish potato pancake and a staple in Irish cooking, is the perfect St. Patrick’s Day potato side dish recipe.
Boxty is pillowy, potatoey goodness perfect for a special St. Patrick’s Day side dish recipe.
As I continued my dive into Irish recipes via my newly purchased vintage Irish cookbooks, boxty is a recipe that continued to pop up on my radar. I’m not one to ever say no to potatoes in any form, but when they’re compacted into pancake shape and fried in a skillet, I’m definitely all-in.
What is Irish boxty?
Boxty is a traditional Irish recipe believed to have originated in rural Northern Ireland in the 1700s. The name is believed to have been drawn from the Irish phrase “arán bocht tí” or “poor-house bread.”
The gist is simple: boxty is a simple, smart way to use a surplus of potatoes and transform them into tasty potato cakes that are perfect for breakfast, a side dish with dinner, or just a little snack on their own. They’re made with mashed potatoes (either fresh or leftover), raw, grated potatoes, flour, egg, milk, and baking powder. Once all the ingredients are formed together in a batter, it is spooned into a hot skillet or griddle and fried until golden-brown on each side.
They’re as easy as anything to make and so satisfying to eat! I’ve seen some boxty recipes that add minced onion or scallions, but I prefer the less-is-more approach and keep it simple. I recommend trying the simple version first and adding on to them in future iterations. You will not want to stop at making these just once, trust me!
How to make traditional boxty
What you need
- Potatoes: You’ll use potatoes two ways in this recipe: mashed and grated. You can make use leftover mashed potatoes are simply boil fresh potatoes and mash them right before adding them to the boxty batter.
- Batter: The batter is made with eggs, flour, salt, pepper, buttermilk, and baking powder. You can use whole milk instead of buttermilk, but I love the subtle tanginess of buttermilk.
- Whipped sour cream: I serve the boxty with whipped sour cream which is basically sour cream blended with heavy cream until light and airy. It is absolutely heavenly with the crisp, fluffy boxty!
- Fresh chives and warm butter: If you don’t make the whipped sour cream, boxty is delicious served with warm butter and fresh chives.
How to make it
- Step 1: Prepare the potatoes. Peel and boil half the potatoes until fork-tender. Mash with a fork and set aside. Grate the other half the potatoes on a box grater and squeeze out all the excess water.
- Step 2: Make the whipped sour cream. While you wait for the potatoes to boil, combine the sour cream, heavy cream, and salt in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.
- Step 3: Make the boxty batter. Whisk two eggs in a large bowl. Add the flour and baking powder and combine until a thick paste forms. Add the buttermilk and whisk until smooth. Add the grated and mashed potatoes and mix until you have a thick batter.
- Step 4: Fry the boxty. Spoon the batter into a hot skillet and cook the boxty for 3 to 4 minutes. If you have a larger skillet, you can fry a few boxty cakes at a time.
From there, you can serve them up! Pile the boxty cakes onto a platter and serve with whipped sour cream and chives or with soft butter and chives.
Serve the boxty alongside corned beef and cabbage or with your favorite breakfast fry-up!
Irish Boxty Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes (peeled and quartered)
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes (peeled and grated on a box grater, excess water squeezed out through a cloth)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3½ teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Neutral oil (for frying)
Whipped sour cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
For serving:
- 2 teaspoons chives (minced)
- Softened butter (if not serving with whipped sour cream)
Instructions
Boil the potatoes:
- Add the 1 pound of quartered potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain and mash with a fork or potato masher. Set aside.
Make the whipped sour cream:
- Combine the heavy cream, sour cream, and salt in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to blend until stiff peaks form. Taste and season with more salt if desired. Transfer to the refrigerator until needed.
Make the boxty batter:
- Add 2 eggs to a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add ¾ cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 teaspoons salt to the bowl of eggs and whisk until combined into a thick paste.
- Add buttermilk and whisk until smooth. Add mashed potatoes and grated potatoes and mix until combined into thick batter.
Fry the boxty cakes:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a large spoonful of batter (about 2 to 3 tablespoons total) and smooth out into a circle. Fry for 3 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown all over. Transfer to a plate. Continue frying until all cakes are made, adding more oil between batches if needed. Batter yields about 8 boxty cakes total.
To serve:
- Place a boxty cake on a plate and spoon the whipped sour cream or soft butter on top. Finish with freshly minced chives. Enjoy!
