Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and put a smile on your face and a jig in your step with Traditional Irish Potato Boxty or potato cakes!
Why this recipe works:
Not only are these potato pancakes flavorful, but they are also quite versatile as well. They can be served at breakfast with butter, as a side dish for dinner, or as a savory appetizer with sour cream and chives. Another breakfast favorite at our house are my Easy Southern Hoecakes.
What are they:
Boxty are delicious potato cakes, or potato pancakes, which are crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. They are made with a combination of mashed potatoes and raw grated potatoes mixed with flour, baking powder, milk, and egg.
Boxty’s origin dates back to 18th century Ireland where it was so popular that it inspired the following folk ditty: “Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan if you can’t make boxty, you’ll never get your man!”
How to make the topping:
To make the sour cream and chives topping, whisk together the sour cream and chives in a small bowl. Set aside.
How to make them:
Preheat the oven to 200° F. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet. Set aside.
Cut half of the potatoes into slices, place in a medium saucepan. Add 1/2 tablespoon salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
While the potatoes for the mashed potatoes are cooking, grate the remaining potatoes using a food processor or the large holes of a box grater. Transfer the grated potatoes to a wire strainer set over a bowl. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and squeeze by hand to remove as much liquid as possible.
Wrap the grated potatoes in a clean dish towel and squeeze to remove any additional liquid.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, one teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add the milk and egg and whisk until smooth.
Drain the boiled potatoes and return them to the pan. Add the half-and-half and three tablespoons of the butter and mash until the potatoes are smooth. Set aside.
Give the raw grated potatoes one final squeeze and then stir them into the mashed potatoes. Stir the potato mixture into the flour-milk mixture.
Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of canola oil and one tablespoon of butter; heat until it begins to shimmer. Working in batches, drop approximately 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet and spread the batter into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
Cook until the potato cake bottoms are golden brown, which should take four to five minutes.
Flip and cook the other side until golden brown, about three minutes longer. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, and then to the prepared baking sheet.
Keep warm in the oven while you repeat batches with more oil, butter, and batter.
How to serve:
Serve the Boxty warm, topped with a dollop of the sour cream and chive topping.
More St. Patrick’s Day recipes:
If you are looking for other traditional or Irish inspired recipes for dinner or a St. Patrick’s Day party, you might also like these recipes: Traditional Irish Soda Bread, Traditional Irish Potato Soup, and Corned Beef and Cabbage Egg Rolls.
Need even more options for St. Patricks’s Day? Check out my roundup: Ten Irish Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day, or 18 Incredible Irish Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day from the Pudge Factor Blog.
★ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!
An Old Irish Blessing for St. Patrick’s Day
May your troubles be less,
your blessings be more, and
nothing but happiness come through your door!
Traditional Irish Potato Boxty Recipe
Ingredients
Sour Cream and Chives Topping Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp chives finely chopped
Boxty Ingredients:
- 2 pounds Russet potatoes peeled, may substitute Yukon Gold (about 4 large)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg large
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Canola oil for cooking the Boxty
Instructions
Sour Cream and Chives Topping Directions:
- Whisk together the sour cream and chives in a small bowl. Set aside.
Boxty Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 200° F. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet. Set aside.
- Cut half of the potatoes into slices, place in a medium saucepan. Add 1/2 tablespoon salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
- While the potatoes for the mashed potatoes are cooking, grate the remaining potatoes using a food processor or the large holes of a box grater. Transfer the grated potatoes to wire strainer set over a bowl. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and squeeze by hand to remove the liquid. Wrap grated potatoes in a clean dish towel and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add the milk and egg, and whisk until smooth.
- Drain the boiled potatoes and return them to the pan. Add the half-and-half and 3 tablespoons of the butter and mash until the boiled potatoes are smooth. Give the grated potatoes one final squeeze and then stir them into the mashed potatoes. Stir the potato mixture into the flour-milk mixture.
- Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of canola oil and one tablespoon of butter; heat until it begins to shimmer. Working in batches, drop approximately 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet and spread the batter into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Cook until the Boxty bottoms are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain, and then to the prepared baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven while you repeat batches with more oil, butter, and batter.
- Serve the Boxty warm, topped with a dollop of the sour cream and chive topping.
I made this recipe with a little less fat and it turned out great! I used 1% milk in place of the half and half, and low fat sour cream in place of the cream. I used egg whites instead of whole egg. I threw in some finely diced onions, a tsp of garlic powder and a tsp of accent salt (msg). The mixture comes out a little thinner then the original recipe. I then fried it in a tbsp of virgin olive oil just below medium heat for maybe 6-8 minutes per side or until browned.
Was a little bland… I added onions and garlic. Thinned the batter a bit with more milk. Very easy recipe because of the great photos and descriptions. Thank you!!
Looks Delicious!