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Boxty is a traditional Irish dish made from fried potato pancake, often eaten on its own or served as a side. It was a “peasant food” made from cheap and simple ingredients, and was used as a replacement for bread and carbohydrate dishes. The recipe involves mixing mashed or boiled potatoes with grated raw potatoes, flour, milk and egg, and frying the pancake in butter or oil. Modern versions can include various additions and variations, and it can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It remains on the menu of many Irish and British pubs and is a great starter recipe for kids or new bakers.
Boxty is a traditional Irish food that makes good use of that most famous Irish staple: the potato. The dish, which usually comes from a simple recipe, is essentially fried potato pancake. Boxty is eaten on its own, wrapped in meat or vegetables like a tortilla, or served as a side with a meal.
Boxty is a traditional “peasant food” as the ingredients are usually cheap, simple, and would probably be affordable in a poor household. Irish farmers in the 18th and 19th centuries were much more likely to have access to starchy potatoes than wheat or other grains, so this pancake could replace bread and carbohydrate dishes. The Gaelic name for the dish is aran bocht ti, which translates as “poor house bread” and is the source of the unusual name.
There are many basic variations on the recipe for Irish potato pancakes. Usually, the dough is made by mixing mashed or boiled potatoes with finely grated raw potatoes. Flour, a little milk or milk and an egg are added to this mixture. The pancake is typically fried in butter or oil on one side, then flipped and fried on the other side.
Modern versions of the pancake can incorporate many different types of additions and variations, although the traditional boxty is quite plain and bland. One of the more basic changes is the addition of salt, pepper and garlic, flavors common to modern eaters but beyond the means and knowledge of Irish farmers. Other variations include frying the pancake in bacon fat for a deliciously rich flavor. The dish can be lean by using skim milk and frying it in a healthy oil instead of butter.
Boxty can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner and is also sometimes used as a dessert with an applesauce on top. It’s a great way to use up any leftover mashed potatoes from the previous night and can be a good base for meat and vegetable fillings. While the dish is not a staple of the Irish diet in modern times, it remains on the menu of many Irish and British pubs. Although served all year round, it is especially tasty as a warm winter lunch or dinner.
The simple recipe for boxty makes it a great starter recipe for kids or new bakers.
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