Happy St. Patrick’s Day! To celebrate, how about some good old Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes?
In reminiscing about travels past with Crawley (because, who else am I talking to on a regular basis?), Ireland is always such a bright spot in my mind. My first trip was for St. Patrick’s Day, actually, when I was studying in London during law school. It was a bit of a last minute decision, and two of my roommates and I hopped on a bus with a bunch of rowdy Aussies and Kiwis to Wales, transferred to a boat traveling through very rough waters, only to find ourselves staying in a pretty crap hostel that was not equipped to handle the damp March air. We positively froze the whole weekend! Kept warm by Guinness, fat frogs and some shenanigans on the dance floor.
My most recent trip was with Mom in 2018, certain more of a grown-up do, doing things the grown-up way, renting a car and staying in the most charming B&Bs, always in search of the best meal. And despite what you’ve heard, with its farm-fresh dairy and local seafood, it is still some of the best food I’ve eaten in my travels.
The middle trip is sort of like goldilocks, and had a dash of mischief and sophistication. Tomato details it all here. One part hostel, 4 parts B&B, it is still one of my favorite trips, with one of my favorite travel +1s. It was on this trip that Dawn and I really, I mean, really figured out the way to dine on the road. From mouth watering lamb shanks to brown bread ice cream, every bite was worthy of seconds, and for the most part, sharing (except for the aforementioned lamb shank- she would not share that with me).
It was on that biking adventure that we landed in the small but typically charming town of Kenmare. At the suggestion of our guidebook, we tucked in for lunch/dinner at Packie’s (permanently closed, RIP) and no joke, proceeded to order every appetizer on the menu, much to the envy of our neighbors. Before us sat 8 or so small plates, with Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes on of our collective favorites.
What is a boxty? It’s pretty much a potato pancake, but unlike those traditionally seen made of shredded, hash-style potatoes, these are made with both grated AND mashed potatoes, giving them a unique texture- crispy fried on the outside, creamy in the middle. A true treat!
I adapted Food & Wine’s recipe and added a twist of my own: some Kerrygold Irish cheddar because….cheese, and a dash of horseradish to complement my accompanying corned beef. They were delish, and just as good reheated in the toaster oven the next day. As a side or on their own, you best dig in!
Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes
Traditional Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes are made with both grated and mashed potatoes with a dash of Irish cheddar and horseradish.
Ingredients
- 1 pound russet baking potatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 1/2 TB all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 TB milk
- 1 cup sharp Irish cheddar
- 1 heaping TB horseradish
- 3 TB unsalted butter
Directions
- Step 1 Peel half the potatoes. Cut the peeled potatoes into 1-inch pieces. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, cover half the potatoes with salted water and bring to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the cooked potatoes and place through a ricer. Set aside.
- Step 2 Peel the remaining potatoes and grate with a box grater. Wrap the grated potatoes in a kitchen towel and squeeze as much liquid from them as you can. Add the grated potatoes to the bowl with the riced potatoes. Stir in the flour, milk, egg, salt, pepper, cheese and horseradish.
- Step 3 Preheat a cast iron or a griddle over medium high heat. Heat half the butter over medium heat until hot, drop the pancakes on to the griddle in 1/3 cup portions and flatten out. Cook the patties in batches, turning occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes per batch (4 min per side). Cook the remaining patties in the remaining butter. Serve with more butter, a side of corned beef of sour cream.
