St. Brigid’s Day is February 1st. To celebrate this much loved saint from early Christian times, boxty was served on her feast day.
Boxty on the griddle,
Boxty in the pan,
If you can’t make boxty,
You’ll never get a man.
Boxty on the griddle,
Boxty in the pan,
The wee one in the middle,
That’s the one for Mary Anne.
(Traditional Irish Rhyme)
This traditional potato pancake dish, with its origins in the northern counties of Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim and Monaghan, is sometimes called stamp.
There are many variations on boxty recipes, some calling for only grated potato and a “fistful” of flour, others use mashed potatoes and others use a significant amount of flour. I use the basic recipe from the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, but I do add a few extra steps like squeezing the excess starch out of the grated potatoes.
Here’s my version, inspired by Ireland’s advocate of fresh, simple cooking, Darina Allen.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed potatoes (2 potatoes cooked and mashed)
- 1 and 1/2 cups grated raw potato (2 potatoes)
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 2 oz butter
First grate two potatoes. Next I like to remove the excess liquid and starch. To do this place a cloth or cheese cloth over a bowl. Toss the grated potato onto the cloth.
Roll the cloth around the potatoes and use your hands to squeeze tightly. Fluid and starch will ooze out into the bowl below. Discard this liquid.
Add the mashed potato into a mixing or batter bowl. I usually have left-over mashed potato, but if you don’t just boil about 2 medium potatoes and mash.
Toss in the squeezed and grated potato, then mix the two types of spud together.
Sieve the flour, baking soda, and salt into the mixing bowl with the potatoes.
Add a cup of buttermilk initially and combine with all the dry ingredients.
Add enough buttermilk to make a thick batter. I find I use the full 1 and 1/2 cups of buttermilk. I always think the batter resembles rice pudding when it is just the right consistency.
Melt the butter in a large skillet. This recipe makes one large pancake in a 12- inch round pan, two 8-inch diameter cakes, or 8 to 10 small ones of about 3 inches diameter.
I like to use butter rather than oil to cook boxty. Butter adds a lovely flavor and helps the pancake cook slowly and evenly.
Pour the mixture into the pan. The pancake should be between 1/2 and 1 inch high. Fry the pancake over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes on each side. Low and slow is the key to good boxty. If cooked too quickly the grated potato retains a raw texture and taste.
Flip the pancake when it’s golden and crispy on the first side. Continue to cook for another 12 to 15 minutes on the second side. If you decide to make smaller pancakes, it will probably only take 10 minutes to cook on each side.
Remove from the pan and cut into four quarters (called farls) or eight triangular pieces.
Serve boxty with melted butter, honey or a side of bacon or sausage.
My little girl loves boxty slathered in raspberry jam. There are endless choices of toppings and accompaniments.
Here is the printable recipe.
[gmc_recipe 5372]
Hope you enjoy these traditional Irish pancakes.
Slan agus beannacht leat!
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom
Oh yum!
I have a lot of potatoes from my garden this year that I need to use before they spoil. This looks like it’ll do the trick!
Julie – You can even toss in some fresh herbs to the pancake mixture to add even more flavor. Enjoy your boxty.
Mairead
Is this a good opportunity to use “the blend?”
Great stuff here, Mairead! My friends have been after me for years to compile a cookbook of all my ‘Irish Treats’ they like me to make for them—I can just direct them here!
BTW, I’ll thin the boxty batter out on occasion to make crepes. I’ll add some herbs to softened cream cheese and let it set for an hour or two to let the herbs and cheese mingle, then spread the herbed cheese onto the boxty. Lay thin slices of smoked salmon on it, roll it up and slice into two inch logs. Absolutely perfect for starters!
Éamon – Thanks so much for stopping by my corner of the world wide web and for checking out my recipes. I have many more to share – just need to find time to photograph as I cook, then write them up. I am planning on cooking some colcannon next week in preparation for Halloween. Please do let your friends know about my site. It’s lovely to find new readers.
I love your recommendation for creating boxty crepes. I too like to create a thinner pancake and fill them with a savory mushroom and chicken sauce, but your smoked salmon and herbed cheese roll-ups sound delicious. They definitely would make great appetizers – perfect finger food for a St. Patrick’s Day get-together.
Thanks again and please check out my site whenever you get a chance.
All the best,
Mairead
Yesssss!!! …. this is what I was surfing the net for…. some creative ideas for boxty – potato pancakes. My Acadian Cafe in Truro Nova Scotia Canada provides the food for a pub right next door, in the same building. We’ve created a theme night every Wednesday “Whiskey Wednesdays” and this is the perfect match for an appetizer dish for a Whiskey and Irish Patty Special. Potato Pancakes is a traditional Acadian dish and I’m thrilled to learn that it is a traditional Irish one as well. Now I’m pumped: I really wanted to do an appetizer with potato pancakes and now, thanks to this post, I know exactly what to do. Thank you so much!!!!
Gary – I’m so glad you found the recipe and inspiration you needed right here on my blog. Good luck with your new potato pancake appetizer for “Whiskey Wednesdays”.
Mairéad
I’m sure they taste as good as they look. My mother used to make them a long time ago.
It appears so simple and very well explained I must have a go.
Thanks
John
John – Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope these turn out as good as your mother’s.
All the best,
Mairead
About the rhyme. I know it’s just me personally, but I would change the line that goes, “If you can’t make Boxty then you’ll never get a man.” to “If you can’t make Boxty then oh well, try again.” or “-oh well, it’s not ‘the end’.” (like, it’s not the end of the world). Again, it’s just me personally. I’m sure there’s history of this rhyme that I don’t know about.
Allison – I think your version of the rhyme is far more appropriate for today. This ditty written over 150 years ago, when getting a man was the most important goal for poorer women of the era. I think old rhymes like these can tell us a lot about how people lived, and what their focus was in life. I like your ending – “oh well, it’s not the end”. And if poor Mary Ann could not get a man, I hope she knew it was not the end.
Thanks so much for a nice twist on an old rhyme.
Mairéad
So true. I also remember doing a clapping/rhyme game with my mother when I was little. The words were “Clap hands, clap hands, ’til Daddy gets home. Daddy has money and Mommy has none.” How things have change but this was certainly reflective of times gone by when my mother learned it from hers and so on.
Hi Ellen – You brought back some lovely childhood memories for me with your little rhyme. We used to say a version of the “clap hands” rhyme too. Here’s how our verse went:
“Clap handies, clap handies till Daddy comes home,
With sweets in his pocket for baby alone.
None for bold _____, and none for bold _______ ,
All for good little baby alone.”
Where I put the lines, we would insert the names of those we didn’t want to get any sweets. We would also call out our own name rather than using the term baby for the lucky recipient of Daddy’s sweets. This rhyme is probably one reason why I have such a sweet tooth.
All the best,
Mairéad
I wonder if I could use sweet potatoes. That would be interesting.
Allison – I have never tried this recipe with sweet potatoes. Let us know if you give it a try and how they turn out.
All the best,
Mairéad
I remember loving boxy cakes in Ireland & we actually have left over mashed potatoes ~ a rare event in our home ~ so I promised to make them tonight. No problem except: what to serve with them? Green salad & what? Protein? Any suggestions gratefully appreciated. Thanks so much.
Nancy
Nancy – I like to serve potato cakes with salmon or fish. I also like them with pork or lamb chops. Sorry if I am a little late with my response. I have been away with no internet access, so I have been unable to keep up with blog comments. Thanks so much for stopping by.
All the best,
Mairéad
I live in Nova Scotia Canada and am of Acadian decent. Potato pancakes are a traditional dish of the Acadian culture and we make them almost identically to this recipe. They are so mmmmm.mmmmm good!! Somewhere in history, our paths must have crossed. Growing up, my mom had the best remedy for getting all us kids up in the morning for school; the smell of potato pancakes frying on the stove. It worked every time.
Potato pancakes is a piece of soul food in Acadie. Another soul-food acadian dish that uses this same technique of dehydrated potato is a dish called Rappie Pie. Now I’m wondering if there is an Irish equivalent to this dish.
Gary – I believe there is a strong link between Ireland and Nova Scotia, and I have heard the Irish settled in Halifax, Sydney and pockets of rural Cape Breton. There may even be some parts where Gaelic is still spoken.
I had never heard of Rappie Pie before so I did a quick google search. I’m unaware of a similar Irish recipe with grated potatoes, but we do make an amazing onion cake with sliced potatoes and onions. I must make one for my blog someday soon.
Thanks so much for stopping by my website.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Love your site. Am quite “homesick” for Ireland, not from there, but ancestors were. I’ve been there twice, just returned Oct. 25. Had boxty in Killarney restaurant, filled (like a crepe) with ratatouille. So delicious!!!
Yes, many Irish (and Scottish) descendants in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. They have yearly Celtic Colours Festival early Oct. There is Gaelic college there, St. Ann’s.
Martha
Hi Martha – I’m so happy you found my site and to hear you enjoy visiting Ireland as much as I do. It’s lovely to hear Gaelic culture is alive and well in Nova Scotia.
Best wishes,
Mairead
My mother from Cavan made Boxty on Christmas Eve here on Long Island. She has passed and I never got her recipe. I know she never used mashed potatoes, would you happen to have a recipe?
Liz
Liz – I’m so glad you found my site and this recipe. If you scroll up a little in the post there is a square which outlines the section for the printable recipe. In the top right corner of the square there is a little tab called ‘Print recipe’. If you click on this tab you’ll be able to print out step-by-step instructions for making this boxty recipe.
Hope you enjoy it.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
I’m so so glad for this line right here: ” If cooked too quickly the grated potato retains a raw texture and taste.” Thank you for great, detailed instructions. I made a double batch because I was worried I’d misstep somewhere, and sure enough, I missed the part where it said to go low and slow. First ones were ruined, but the next set look and taste perfect. Thank you for a great recipe!
I’m delighted you mastered the art of cooking Boxty. It takes a few tries to determine the right cooking temperature, to ensure they cook thoroughly without burning. I hope you had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day.
Best wishes,
Mairead
omg this is perfect for my project on ireland……… thank you so much!!!
Thanks Mairead for the boxty recipe. I make the boxtys to serve lamb stew over. Delicious!
Kevin – I love your tip for serving lamb stew over Boxty. Best wishes and happy St. Patrick’s Day.
Mairead
Hello again, Mairead. How does the boxty recipe differ from your recipe for Irish Potato Cakes/? They seem rather similar or am I missing something?
Thanks for these fantastic recipes. I am about to run out of printer paper!!!
Mary Lou
Mairéad,
My husband and I just tried making the boxty pancake – it was a total and complete disaster! We cooked it in a cast iron pan on a low heat until the sides were tan. When we tried to turn it over – it fell all apart and was raw (even thou it had been cooking for almost 30 minutes). Any suggestions as to what went wrong or what to do so it turns out. Thank you
Hi Trudy – So sorry to hear of your boxty disaster. But trust me. boxty is hard to cook, and very hard to turn. You may have put too much batter in the pan making it too thick and heavy for turning. Also, it has to be fully dry on the upper side before you try to turn it. You may need to turn your heat up a little bit. I cook with a gas stove so it heats pretty quickly, but an electric burner may require a higher setting. I was also wondering if you live at high altitude. When I visit my friend in Denver I’m always amazed at how much longer it takes to cook anything on her stove top. I’ve never tried making boxty in Denver, but I can just imagine it would take a long time to cook. I don’t know if I have solved this boxty cooking dilemma, but wishing you better success next time.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Hi Mairéad,
My grandmother was Irish and when I was a child my family often had Sunday breakfast with her. There were only a few times she made “potato pancakes” but I remember loving them. It’s been 15 years since she passed away and I’d never had another boxty that reminded me of hers until I tried your recipe today (with leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes–which were appropriately a bit dry). It was delicious and it transported me back to my childhood! Thank you for the great recipe.
Hi Robert – Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment to give my boxty recipe your seal of approval. I’m delighted to hear this taste of Ireland brought back happy childhood memories for you. Being considered on a par with your grandmother’s boxty is high praise indeed. Thanks so much, and enjoy the rest of this holiday weekend.
Take care,
Mairéad
I am taking an intercultural communication class and a great way to get to know a people is through their traditional dishes. Over the course of the semester we each have to bring some sort of dish or drink and talk about it and the culture it comes from. I myself am of Irish, German, and French descent. I would love to introduce my classmates to the deliciousness that is boxty, but I have to feed about 14 people. Any advice for doubling the recipe?
Hi Serenity – Doubling the ingredients for a bigger batch is no problem, until it comes to cooking all that boxty. Since these pancakes need to cook for quite a while to make sure they are fully cooked through, you may need to get 3 or 4 pans going at the same time. Best of luck with your Boxty introduction for your classmates.
Mairéad
Oh yes. Boxty, bacon and black pudding!