Irish Boxty Potato Pancakes (Printable)
Crispy outside, tender inside Irish boxty with potatoes and scallions, ideal for a savory start to the day.
# What You'll Need:
→ Potatoes
01 - 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
02 - ½ lb russet potatoes, peeled and grated
→ Dairy
03 - ½ cup whole milk
04 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (plus extra for frying)
→ Vegetables & Aromatics
05 - 4 scallions, finely sliced
→ Dry Ingredients
06 - ½ cup all-purpose flour
07 - 1 tsp baking powder
08 - ½ tsp fine sea salt
09 - ¼ tsp ground black pepper
# Directions:
01 - Place the chopped potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until fork-tender (about 12–15 minutes). Drain and mash until smooth. Let cool slightly.
02 - Squeeze excess moisture from the grated potatoes using a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth.
03 - In a large bowl, combine the mashed and grated potatoes. Add the milk, melted butter, scallions, flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir until just combined; do not overmix.
04 - Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat and add a little butter.
05 - Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter (about ¼ cup each) onto the skillet, gently flattening each to about ½ inch thick.
06 - Cook for 3–4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crisp. Work in batches, adding more butter as needed.
07 - Transfer cooked boxty to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve warm, garnished with extra scallions if desired.
# Cooking Tips:
01 -
- The combination of mashed and grated potatoes creates the most incredible texture, crispy outside and pillow soft inside, like eating a cloud that's been caramelized in butter.
- These come together in under an hour but taste like something an Irish grandmother might teach you over a slow afternoon tea.
02 -
- Patience with squeezing moisture from the grated potatoes is absolutely the difference between crispy, perfect boxty and ones that are disappointingly damp in the middle.
- Letting the mashed potatoes cool slightly before mixing prevents the batter from becoming too sticky to work with, which I learned the hard way after trying to rush once.
03 -
- If your batter seems too loose, add flour one tablespoon at a time until it holds its shape when scooped.
- Keep the cooked pancakes warm in a 200°F oven while finishing the remaining batches so everyone can eat together.