The Rings of Bantry
"Boxty on the griddle.
Boxty in the pan;
If you can no make a boxty,
You’ll never get a man."
O.K. So that old rhyme isn’t politically correct by today’s standards; it does however show the importance of Boxty in the Irish diet. What is Boxty? It’s a potato cake made with half grated raw potato and half leftover mashed potato. Don’t expect it to be like latkes. Boxty may be baked in the oven in a pan, like soda bread or biscuits or on the top of the stove like latkes. It may be served with sausage and eggs and syrup or jam for breakfast or as an accompaniment to a lunch or dinner meal. Although I give a recipe here, originally it was just something that every wife could make using up leftover mashed potatoes. This particularly recipe comes from a friend of mine who lives on the incomparably beautiful Rings of Bantry in County Kerry.
1 cup grated raw potato
1 cup mashed potato
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt to taste
Buttermilk *
Oil for frying or baking
Wash, peel and grate the potato. Spread it on a clean tea towel, roll the towel up and twist to squeeze as much liquid out of the potato as possible. Do this over a bowl to catch the liquid. Allow it to sit until the starch settles to the bottom of the bowl. Pour the liquid off and save. Put the grated potato into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients except the buttermilk. Toss together. Add the liquid squeezed from the potato and enough buttermilk to make a very thick batter. Stir just enough to moisten all the dry ingredients.
You may now go in any of three directions:
1. Heat a heavy skillet and oil it well. Drop the batter by generous spoons full onto the hot skillet or griddle. With the back of a wooden spoon, flatten them until they are only about ½ inch thick and bake like for pancakes or latkes, 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Serve hot. This type is most often used for breakfast. |
Boxty on the Griddle
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2. Oil a baking pan and pour the batter into it. Place in the center of a preheated 350° oven and bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut into squares. Serve hot. This type is generally used as a bread with dinner. |
Boxty in the Pan
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3. To make this type of Boxty you add a bit less buttermilk. Sprinkle a flat surface with flour and place the thick batter or very soft dough on it. Sprinkle with a bit more flour and pat out into a flat cake about half an inch thick. Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter and bake on a lightly oiled baking pan in the oven like for biscuits or on a lightly oiled skillet or griddle on top of the stove. These were traditionally served for breakfast or dinner. They are my favorite version. The manner of cooking Boxty varies from region to region. |
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* If you don’t have buttermilk, use regular milk to which you add a teaspoon of white vinegar.
An abandoned stone cottage on the Rings of Bantry. |
