Irish Boxty, The Only Potato Pancake You'll Ever Need (2024)

Updated: Apr. 12, 2024

Boxty has a delightfully crispy exterior and soft pancake-like center, making them irresistible. Learn how to make them at home.

Boxty is a traditional Irish food typically eaten around Halloween, or Samhain as the Irish refer to it. This was because potato crops were bountiful this time of year, so making boxty was a very affordable way to feed people.

Boxty is different from other potato pancakes or latkes, and you’ll see that once you bite into one and notice the crispy hash brown-like outside and soft, dough-like inside.

What Is Boxty?

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake, that gets its unique texture from the combination of mashed and shredded raw potatoes.

Fried in oil, these little potato pillows from heaven are perfectly crispy when you bite into them, but soft like a pancake on the inside. With the addition of buttermilk, flour and baking soda, they puff up slightly in the oil while getting a deep golden crust. Drooling yet?

How to Make Boxty

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups cold mashed potatoes
  • 2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 to 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
  • Oil for frying

Tools You’ll Need

  • Veggie peeler: You need to peel quite a few potatoes for this recipe. Make sure you have a good peeler on hand. This model is just $5 but our Test Kitchen swears by it.
  • Box grater:A box grater is a necessity for any kind of potato pancake, including boxty.
  • Tea towels:To press the water out of the potatoes, you’ll want thin kitchen towels at the ready.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the potatoes

Boxty has two types of potatoes: mashed and shredded. Make some mashed potatoes in advance. Boil the potatoes until soft and mash with a masher or potato ricer. No need to add any milk or butter here; that’ll come later.

Let the mashed potatoes cool completely.

Step 2: Shred and squeeze

Irish Boxty, The Only Potato Pancake You'll Ever Need (4)TMB Studio

Start by shredding your potatoes with a box grater just like you would for any other potato pancakes. Using a clean dish towel, squeeze out any excess liquid from shredded potatoes. This will help the batter hold together better and allow your boxty to crisp up better.

Step 3: Make the batter

Irish Boxty, The Only Potato Pancake You'll Ever Need (5)TMB Studio

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt and pepper. Add the mashed and shredded potatoes to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add a cup of buttermilk to the mixture, adding more as needed.

Step 4: Fry

Irish Boxty, The Only Potato Pancake You'll Ever Need (6)TMB Studio

In a large frying pan, heat 1/8-inch oil over medium heat. Using 1/4 cup, drop batter into hot oil and flatten into patties. Fry until golden brown on each side, adding more oil as needed.

It’s better to cook these longer and lower than higher and quicker, as you don’t want the outside to crisp up before the shredded potatoes have cooked through.

What to Eat with Boxty

Irish Boxty, The Only Potato Pancake You'll Ever Need (7)TMB Studio

It’s true they are so tasty that you may want to just eat them alone, but if you’re looking to make a meal of it try serving your boxty with either fresh butter, crème Fraiche, green onions, bacon, smoked salmon and eggs. For an authentic Irish dinner try serving it with corned beef and fried cabbage.

Irish Boxty, The Only Potato Pancake You'll Ever Need (2024)

FAQs

What does boxty mean in Irish? ›

'Boxty' originates in the 1700s and may get its name from the Irish 'arán bocht tí', meaning 'poor house bread', due to its humble ingredients, making it a staple in Irish households where potatoes were relied upon to survive. It is a simple potato pancake using mashed and/or grated potatoes.

What are the different types of boxty? ›

There are three types of boxty: boiled, baked and pan boxty. Boxty is made simply from grated raw potato, cooked mashed potato, flour, milk and water.

What is a Fermanagh boxty? ›

Boxty (Irish: bacstaí or Irish: steaimpí) is a traditional Irish potato pancake. The dish is mostly associated with the north midlands, north Connacht and southern Ulster, in particular the counties of Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Fermanagh, Longford, and Cavan.

What's the difference between boxty and farls? ›

Irish potato cakes: Irish potato cakes are typically made from mashed potato, and flour or baking soda, and are usually fried. It differs from boxty as boxty is made of raw potatoes whereas potato cake is made from cooked potatoes.

What is potato slang for in Irish? ›

Spuds. We can't talk about Irish slang without mentioning potatoes! “Spuds” is another word for potatoes.

What does a mac mean in Irish? ›

Mac, Scottish and Irish Gaelic surname prefix meaning “son.” It is equivalent to the Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman Fitz and the Welsh Ap (formerly Map).

What is the difference between boxty and Latkes? ›

Boxty is different from other potato pancakes or latkes, and you'll see that once you bite into one and notice the crispy hash brown-like outside and soft, dough-like inside.

Who invented boxty? ›

Boxty originated in Ireland sometime in the late 18th century, primarily in the northern counties of Cavan and Donegal. Now they're eaten all over Ireland, usually alongside meat or stew.

What is an Irish crisp? ›

If you are referring to what Canadians and Americans refer to as “potato chips” then these are usually referred to as “crisps” in Ireland.

What is a traditional Irish potato basket? ›

The Skib by Joe Hogan is a traditional Irish basket used for straining and serving potatoes. After use it was washed and hung on the kitchen wall to dry and in this way began to be seen as a decorative object.

Is boxty low fat? ›

Drummully Boxty is a family produced traditional low fat potato dish, slimmer's delight and made from the very best Irish potatoes. A tasty healthy, low fat convenient and versatile meal solution.

Are potato cakes Scottish or Irish? ›

It seems the Irish call them Potato bread, the English call them potato cakes (Lancashire), Scottish call them potato scones (tottie scones). Irish potato bread is typically made from mashed potato, and either flour or baking soda, and is usually fried.

Is boxty Scottish or Irish? ›

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake made with leftover mashed potato and grated raw potato. An old Irish rhyme goes: "Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan; if you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man." Our family has been making this delicious recipe for years!

What is a farl in Scotland? ›

Farl is a shorter form of fardel, the word once used in some parts of Lowland Scotland for "a three-cornered cake, usually oatcake, generally the fourth part of a round". In earlier Scots fardell meant a fourth or quarter.

What is the difference between boxty and latkes? ›

Boxty is different from other potato pancakes or latkes, and you'll see that once you bite into one and notice the crispy hash brown-like outside and soft, dough-like inside.

How do you say mashed potatoes in Irish? ›

English–Irish Dictionary (de Bhaldraithe): Potato-mash. Potato-mash, brúitín m (prátaí). Mashed potatoes, brúitín m. Mashed potatoes, brúitín m, prátaí brúite.

What is spuds in Irish? ›

The Irish language is very descriptive the common word for potato in Irish is práta (pl. prátaí), hence the origin of Praties for Potatoes, There are literally 50 Irish words and descriptive phrases relating to the potato.

What does Dudeen mean in Irish? ›

Irish. a short-stemmed clay tobacco pipe. Word origin. < Ir dūidīn, a little pipe < dūd, a pipe.

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