Boxty

Can’t decide between a crispy latke and a pile of creamy mashed potatoes? Make boxty. Crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the center, these Irish potato pancakes give you the best of both iconic potato dishes in a single bite. It’s easy to make boxty that are just okay, but there are a few important tips to keep in mind if you want yours to be exceptional. Follow my tips and you’ll be cranking out crispy-edged potato pancakes with fluffy centers in no time:

What People Are Saying:
“Absolutely lovely recipe ^-^ tried it 2 times already and its not only really versatile but easy to make…” - Evolina

How To Make Boxty

INGREDIENTS

• Potatoes: You’re going to want to use floury potatoes here, like russet or Idaho. Their starchy and fluffy texture will result in the ultimate creamy boxty.
• Flour: Adding all-purpose flour is what gives these potato pancakes the structure to become a pancake.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda will make these potato pancakes thick and fluffy.
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk will add a tang to the boxty, and will also thicken up the batter and result in a fluffy pancake. No buttermilk on hand? Here’s how to make buttermilk as a substitute.
• Butter & Vegetable Oil: We’re using a combination of butter and oil to cook these pancakes. We’re only going to use 2 tsp. of butter and vegetable oil each time so that you have enough to give each batch of boxty some love.
  

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First, prepare your potatoes by peeling 1 potato, and cutting it into cubes. Add to a small pot and cover with cold water, then add salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender. Once tender, drain the water. Then, while still warm, pass it through a sieve, ricer, or food mill, then let it cool completely—this will likely take 30 to 60 minutes. While that is cooling, peel the remaining potato and grate it on the large holes of a box grater. Wrap the grated potato in a kitchen towel, and wring out as much moisture as possible over the sink or a large bowl, then discard the liquid.

Then, in a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, black pepper, and remaining salt. Add both the mashed and grated potatoes, then stir until fully combined. Once combined, stir in buttermilk, a little bit at a time, until a thick batter has formed. I recommend adding a bit of time so that the batter is easier to create.

Heat 2 tsp. of butter and 2 tsp. of oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter melts and begins to foam, drop 4 circles of batter into the pan using a 1/4-cup measuring cup. Cook the boxty until they’re crisp on the bottom , then flip and continue to cook until they are fully cooked through. Once done, transfer to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining batches, adding more butter and oil.

Once done, divide among the plates, then top with scallions and serve with sour cream for dipping.

The full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe below.

What Is Boxty?

Boxty originated in Ireland in the 1700s. Made with a mix of cooked mashed potato, raw shredded potato, flour, and buttermilk, it was created in an economical effort to stretch the potato harvest, which the Irish depended on for sustenance throughout the year. Although it’s not quite the mealtime staple it used to be, boxty is still a favorite in Ireland today.

Recipe Tips

• Use pure mashed potatoes. This is not a time to use last Sunday’s leftover mashed potatoes that are already diluted with butter and cream. You can boil and mash the potatoes a day in advance or prep them the day you want to make the boxty; just be sure to let them cool completely before using in the batter. When it comes to the mashing technique, while you can certainly use a potato masher, pushing the potatoes through a fine-mesh kitchen sieve yields the lightest texture in the finished boxty.
• Wait to grate. It might be tempting to prep ahead, but don’t shred the raw potatoes until you’re ready to mix the batter and fry the boxty. The raw potatoes will pretty quickly oxidize after they’re grated, turning this gross reddish-brown color—not at all appetizing.
• Don’t overmix the batter. Once you combine the mashed potato, raw potato, and flour with the buttermilk, mix JUST until the pockets of flour disappear, and NO MORE. Overmixing results in batter that’s like concrete and boxty that’s equally dense.
• Manage the heat. This one’s a little tricky: You want those crispy-brown edges, but you don’t want the boxty to burn before the center cooks through. For best results, preheat the skillet over medium-high heat. After adding the batter (it should sizzle when it hits the pan!), reduce the heat to medium and turn on a timer. These boxty should take 3 to 4 minutes on each side to cook through. If they look like they’re getting super-brown and they’ve only been in for 2 minutes, reduce the heat even more.

What To Serve With Boxty

Sitting down with a plate of crispy, golden-brown boxty and wondering what to serve them with? The short answer is anything you want. Many Irish eat them with eggs and sausage for breakfast, but you can also serve them topped with applesauce, like a latke, or ketchup like a hash brown. My personal favorite is a dollop of sour cream and a confetti of chopped scallions.

Storage

If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3-4 days.