Irish boxties (potato pancakes)
Happy St Patrick’s Day! I’m not even remotely Irish, but half the world seems to think they are, so I figured some of you might enjoy having an Irish recipe today. Boxties are traditional Irish potato pancakes, and they’re really easy to make, and are also really versatile. You can either make them really big and flat and then wrap them around a filling of your choice, or make smaller ones like I did, to serve alongside something else.
(admission: the only reason I went for smaller ones is because I’m terrible at flipping big pancakes)
My fiancé and I went to Dublin a few years ago, and although I have a scarily poor memory, a few things stick in my mind: drinking far too much free Guinness at the brewery (I actually despise the stuff, but it was free, and I like free stuff), posing as guards in the sentry boxes outside Dublin Castle… and eating boxties. I had a big one wrapped around creamy garlic mushrooms, which was insane (in a good way). So if you decide to be braver than me and go for big boxties, I’d definitely recommend that as your filling.
Boxties contain mashed potato, which makes them soft and fluffy, as well as grated raw potato, which means they retain a bit of bite. It’s a great combination! Make sure you cook them for long enough to get that gorgeous crust – there’s nothing better than crispy potato!
So are you doing anything to celebrate St Patrick’s Day? I think a lot of people will have been celebrating over the weekend rather than today (how selfish it was to make a holiday fall on a Monday), but hopefully some of you will make this recipe as a more low-key acknowledgement of the day. Have a pint of Guinness alongside your boxties and you’ll be sorted.
For this traditional Irish recipe, head on over to Great British Chefs!
If you want another way to use your potatoes, try my slow cooker loaded baked potato soup:
Oh my goodness these were delicious! Thank you so much, they were absolutely scrummy. I made them dairy free by substituting the milk with 100mls oat milk and 50ml water, and fried them in oil. My 21 month old absolutely loved them – and he’s a fussy eater! Thank you!
Yay thanks Abby! :)
BRILLIANT! This answers so many questions for me. I usually make potato cakes using left-over mash, adding flour and maybe a bit of beaten egg. They get chilled in the fridge and then turned into patty-shapes. But I’m never really pleased with them. I will now make em with added grated spud and enough milk to make a BATTER – ah, now I see where I was going wrong! it needs to be drop-scone batter- like not scone dough-like, sheeeesh! Been doing it wrong all these years.
Haha I’m glad you found this helpful Lynne! :) Yeah the grated potato adds a great texture and means they’ve got a bit more to them than just smooth potato. Enjoy! :)
This potato pancakes look so good, sounds like you had fun in Ireland.
mmmm these look so good! almost like latkes.
These look super tasty!
I love potato pancakes. Czech’s make them too!
I cannot wait to make these – I once had a boxty sandwich with grilled veggies in the middle – amazing, and you better bet I’ll be making them with this recipe!
That sounds awesome!
Potato pancakes..my favorite. I grew up in Europe, so I know them very well. Delicious!
Greetings from Ireland on St. Patricks Day. Thank you for reminding me about Potato Cakes. Have not made them for some time so supper is going to be very nice.
Oh I’m glad to this recipe, I do love them. When I’ve eaten them in cafes they feel tougher than they should. You’ve reminded me to make a batch at home, yum x