Three ways to Irish Boxty

Words by Justin Butts Recipe by Kayla Butts Photos by Rachel Benavides

The language of the Irish is Gaelic. Just listen to the tones and lilts and rhythms of this lovely ancient language, and somehow it seems to transport the listener to another place in time.

Gaelic is on nearly every radio station. Driving north along the Irish coast in a tiny car, climbing the winding narrow roads with a mist rising from the hills to the right and the stormy Atlantic rolling below, white waves pound and foam against the cliffs. Sheep often cause the journey to come to a complete stop. All the while, the radio plays songs with rustic instruments and haunting vocals.

Pulling into a village, there is always a tavern, usually built of stone and hundreds of years old. Inside, it’s warm and dark with a yellow fire glowing on the hearth and

wooden posts throughout the room to hold up the roof. Seasoned locals in heavy coats sit at the tables, four of them together, a half-empty pint in front of each. They talk politics, history, weather, always in the mellifluous cadence of Gaelic.

When the server stops by, she says something unintelligible, then smiles at an American’s innocence of the language. In English, she lists the specials—something lamb, something salmon, something egg, and always something potato. These foods are all harvested within a few miles of the place: the sheep in the road, the hens in the wet grass, the potatoes in the rich black soil, the salmon in the gray water. The recipes have not changed in a hundred years.

The potato was introduced to Ireland in 1600 by Sir Walter Raleigh. Then, in 1649, Oliver Cromwell and his Ironsides massacred the Irish and burned the island, nearly to extinction, until all that was left of agriculture was the potato. As a result, the potato became the heart of Irish cuisine and, for most, was the entirety of their diet.

When a people only have one food, they creatively discover interesting ways to prepare it. The best preparation of all for the potato is the Irish boxty, from the Gaelic word bacstaíin, which means pancake. The boxty lifts the humble potato to its culinary perfection.

Once you make a boxty, prepare yourself to want it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. To accommodate this desire, we offer up three recipes for every meal of the day.

Begin with your boxty, made from mashed potatoes, fried to golden deliciousness. The toppings—Poached Eggs with Mock Hollandaise, Smoked Salmon with Dill and Capers, and Lamb with Herbed Apricot and Crème Fraiche—are a celebration of Irish flavors.

Not only simple and easy to prepare, these dishes are also extraordinarily delicious. Best of all, every ingredient in these recipes (save the salmon) can be found from a local farm.

Don’t forget; the Irish know how to drink. Enjoy a different boxty all day on St. Patrick’s Day, or any time of year, and these Gaelic comfort foods will carry you through your night, pint after pint, until it is time to rise again and begin a new day with a boxty.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 c. grated potato (about
2 medium potatoes)
1 c. mashed potato
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 t. salt
2 eggs, beaten
¾ c. cream
¼ c. butter

Directions: Strain potatoes in fine mesh sieve. Wring out any excess moisture using a paper towel. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and eggs. Add cream, a little at a time, until a thick batter is formed.
Heat butter over medium low heat in a large pan. Once butter becomes fragrant, add a ladle of batter. Cook for four minutes, or until bottom has become a nice golden brown. Flip the potato pancake over and cook for another four minutes.
Serve warm with honey, jam, or one of the following toppings.

Poach egg for 2-4 minutes, until egg white is coagulated and yolk remains mostly runny. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup crème fraiche, ½ teaspoon English mustard, the zest and juice of half a lemon, 2 teaspoons melted butter and salt to taste. Spread mock hollandaise over warm boxty and top with poached egg, microgreens, and green onion.

Combine 2 tablespoons crème fraiche (or sour cream) with 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill and the zest and juice of half a lemon in a small bowl. Top boxty with a generous amount of smoked salmon, a dollop of dill sauce, capers, and fresh dill.

Season lamb chop with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, minced garlic, and fresh rosemary. Sauté on high for approximately three minutes on each side. Let rest for five minutes. Pulse ½ cup crème fraiche (alternately sour cream), 2 teaspoons apricot marmalade, ¼ cup fresh mint, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes until well combined. Slice lamb thinly and serve over boxty, generously drizzled with apricot mint crème fraiche.

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