Irish Boxty
What’s a boxty, you might ask? A boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake known to be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Made from both mashed and grated potatoes, boxties are served either as a side dish in patty form, or as a thin pancake, folded and filled with a variety of meat, fish, and vegetables. One thing we know to be true, both preparations are mouthwateringly good! Serves 4.
Ingredients:
Boxty Pancake:
3 medium russet potatoes
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Mushroom and Leek Filling:
4 tablespoons butter, divided
14-16 Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
3 small leeks, roots trimmed, green top removed
1 shallot, diced
2 tablespoons flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup Irish cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
Toppings:
sour cream
chives
Directions:
(1) Peel, cube, and boil one of the potatoes over high heat until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Mash the boiled potato with a potato masher or feed it through a potato ricer until smooth. Set aside.
(2) Finely grate the remaining two potatoes and rinse the shavings in a colander to remove any excess starch. Squeeze to remove the remaining liquid.
(3) In a large bowl, use a fork to evenly incorporate the flour, salt, pepper, and baking soda. In a separate, small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and add the grated potato, mashed potato, Parmesan cheese, and green onion. Continue to mix the ingredients until evenly combined. This is the boxty batter.
(4) Add 2 tablespoons butter to a large skillet and cook over medium heat. Add 1 cup of the batter to the skillet, spreading and thinning the batter to be roughly 1/4” thick. Cook until golden brown, roughly 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook the other side until golden. Repeat until all the batter has been used.
(5) On a large griddle, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, leeks, and shallot and cook until the mushrooms are golden and the leeks are translucent and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
(6) In a saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and add the flour whisking constantly for 3-4 minutes until the flour is cooked and the roux begins to brown and smell nutty. Slowly add the milk continuing to whisk until the liquid is incorporated. Slowly add the grated cheese until it is evenly melted and a delicious sauce has formed. Stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
(7) Stir in the mushroom and leeks until the vegetables are coated in the sauce. Add the filling to the boxty pancake, fold, and top with sour cream. Garnish with chopped chives and salt and pepper to taste. Eat while piping hot!
