“A traditional Irish potato pancake that fries grated raw potato together with mashed potato and flour into a soft, golden griddle cake. Its hallmark is the marriage of two potato textures.”
Where it comes from
Boxty rose from the small farms of Ireland's northwestern border counties — Leitrim, Cavan, Fermanagh and Donegal — where written mentions appear as early as the 1820s, before the Great Famine. Its Irish name is often traced to aran bocht ti, 'poor-house bread', though good potatoes were needed to make it, so it was treasured rather than a last resort. A Leitrim-born chef, Padraic Og Gallagher, championed its revival in the 1980s.
On the plate
Crisp, lacy edges give way to a tender, faintly chewy potato interior that tastes purely of earth and butter. The raw grating lends a savory grip the mashed half can't, so each forkful is soft yet substantial. Warm and golden, it's comfort in its plainest, most satisfying form.
How it works
Wringing and resettling the raw potato's starch removes excess water so the cake crisps instead of steaming, while the mashed potato keeps the crumb tender. Buttermilk's acidity reacts with the baking soda for a light lift.
Variations
Boxty pancakes (thin, crepe-like), boxty bread (baked loaf), boxty dumplings (boiled), filled boxty rolled around meat or vegetables
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓25 min active
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 112 min
Peel and boil half the potatoes, then mash smooth and let cool slightly.
- 26 min
Grate the remaining raw potatoes finely into a clean cloth.
- 34 min
Wring the grated potato hard over a bowl to extract the starchy liquid, then let the starch settle.
- 43 min
Pour off the water and scrape the settled starch back in with the grated and mashed potato.
- 54 min
Stir in flour, a little baking soda, salt and just enough buttermilk to bind a soft batter.
- 62 min
Heat butter on a griddle and drop in spoonfuls, or spread into a thin round.
- 78 min
Fry over medium heat until deep golden and crisp, about 4 minutes per side.
- 81 min
Serve hot off the pan with butter, or alongside a fry.
