Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes
These traditional Irish potato pancakes combine both raw grated potato and leftover mashed potato to create a uniquely textured cake that is crispy on the outside and wonderfully soft and starchy within. The old Irish saying goes if you cannot make boxty you will never get a husband, making this a recipe with a long and storied cultural history.
Traditional Irish pan-fried potato cakes made with a combination of mashed and raw grated potato for incredible texture.
Nutrition per serving
Ingredients
Main
Dry
Wet
Cooking
Instructions
Prepare the Raw Potato
Grate the raw peeled potato using the fine side of a box grater directly onto a clean kitchen towel. Gather the towel and squeeze as hard as possible to remove as much starch water as you can. This step is critical for achieving crispy boxty rather than soggy ones.
Make the Batter
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cold mashed potato with the squeezed grated raw potato and mix well. Add the flour, beaten egg, and milk and stir until you have a thick, slightly sticky batter. Season generously with salt and pepper and mix again.
Fry the Boxty
Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Drop heaped spoonfuls of the batter into the pan, flattening each portion slightly with the back of the spoon to form rounds about 1 centimeter thick. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Cook Until Golden
Fry the boxty for 4 to 5 minutes per side until deeply golden and crispy on each surface. Work in batches if necessary, keeping finished boxty warm in a low oven. Serve immediately with sour cream, smoked salmon, or a fried egg on top.
Substitutions
Common mistakes
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