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Boxty ( or ) is a traditional Ireland potato pancake. The dish is mostly associated with the north midlands, north Connacht and southern Ulster, in particular the counties of County Leitrim, County Mayo, County Sligo, County Fermanagh, County Longford, and County Cavan. There are many recipes but all contain finely grated, raw and all are served fried.
The most popular version of the dish consists of finely grated raw potato and flour. The grated potato may be strained to remove most of the starch and water but this is not necessary. The mixture is fried on a griddle pan for a few minutes on each side, similar to a normal pancake. The most noticeable difference between boxty and other fried potato dishes is its smooth, fine-grained consistency.
An old Irish rhyme is: "Boxty on the griddle; boxty on the pan. If you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man!"
As the interest in Irish cuisine has increased, so the popularity of boxty has risen. It is not unusual to see boxty on the menus of restaurants outside the areas with which it is traditionally associated. Boxty may be bought in shops and supermarkets either in the dumpling form or ready-cooked as pancakes.
Boxty may also be pan-fried like a griddle-cake. It is made the same way as boxty bread, with the addition of enough milk to achieve a batter consistency. Some recipes also add egg yolk or baking soda. It is advised to allow the pan boxty to cool and reheat before serving. The finished pancakes can be served with honey, butter or sprinkled with sugar. They can also be filled with vegetables, meat or cheese. Boxty dough can also be boiled like Dumpling. This type of boxty is known as "boiled boxty" and is a traditional dish around Halloween in the 'north midlands' of Ireland, especially the counties of Cavan, Leitrim and the southern parts of Fermanagh. Preparation of the dough requires squeezing excess moisture from the grated potato and combining with mashed potatoes and flour and seasoning with salt. The dough is formed into round dumplings known as "hurleys". The hurleys are dropped into a pot of boiling water and boiled for over half an hour, then removed and stored for later. When ready to be eaten, the hurleys are sliced and the slices are pan-fried in butter. Modern variations can include Zante currant and raisins, or service with cornflour sauce like steamed pudding.
The traditional preparation known from an 1854 edition of Dublin University Magazine was made by mixing potato with either flour or oatmeal and adding animal fat or butter to form a cake. Potato graters were made from tin cans. With the addition of egg yolk, butter and milk, it is possible to roll the dough to 5/8 of an inch thick for cooking on a griddle. Boxty was most popular served with a smear of butter for tea but was also eaten for breakfast.
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