Irish potato pancake made from both grated raw and mashed cooked potato — denser than a pancake, thinner than a fritter, savory and golden.
Boxty (bacstaí, from the Irish 'arán bocht tí', meaning 'poor house bread') is a traditional dish of southern Ulster and the north Connacht / north-midlands region of Ireland, made famous by the children's rhyme: 'Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan, if you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man.' Originally a peasant food using potato bits too small for cooking otherwise, it became a Sunday morning staple in Counties Mayo, Sligo, and Leitrim. Modern Belfast pubs serve it with bacon and eggs as a breakfast side, or as a base for fancier toppings.
Boxty hits the plate slightly crispy at the edges, soft in the middle, with the unmistakable taste of raw potato cooked gently. Butter melts on top instantly; salt makes it sing. Eaten alone, it's a Saturday breakfast; topped with smoked salmon, it's a Belfast brunch trendy.
Boxty's two-potato technique is crucial — the grated raw potato adds starch and structure that holds the pancake together, while the mashed cooked potato provides the soft middle. Squeezing the grated potato dry prevents the batter from going watery during cooking.
Variations
Donegal boxty is thicker and bread-like; Cavan version is thinner and pancake-like; Belfast cafe modern version uses cream and butter — three boxty traditions.
On the Palate
Where Boxty sits in the British flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
5 steps · 25 min active + 5 min waiting
- 115 min
Peel 500g floury potatoes. Boil half (250g) until very tender; mash, cool. Grate the other 250g raw and squeeze out water in a clean cloth.
Watch outWring the grated raw potato really dry in the cloth — leftover water makes the batter runny and the pancake won't crisp.
- 25 min
Combine grated and mashed potato in a bowl. Add 150g plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 200ml buttermilk, 1 beaten egg.
- 32 min
Mix to a thick batter — should hold its shape but pour from a ladle.
Watch outThe batter should hold its shape yet still pour from the ladle — too stiff and it fries dense, too loose and it spreads thin.
- 410 min
Heat 2 tbsp butter in heavy pan over medium heat. Drop ladlefuls of batter, flatten to 10cm rounds. Fry 4-5 min per side until golden brown.
Watch outLeave each side alone until it's golden-brown and lifts freely — flip too early and the soft middle tears apart.
- 53 min
Serve warm with butter and salt, or as a savory base for poached eggs, smoked salmon, or crispy bacon.
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