• I worked as a chef in Dublin for three years and boxty potato pancakes are still my go-to breakfast.
• Boxty is a great way to use leftover potatoes and can even impress unexpected guests.
• They're easy and versatile enough to be served alongside burgers or with poached eggs for brunch.

Boxty calls for floury, starchy potatoes.

The first step to making boxty is preparing a pound of starchy, floury potatoes. Avoid waxy new potatoes, fingerlings, or red bliss, as those work better in salads.

Peel and cut only half of your potatoes into chunks. Fill a pot with cold, salted water, add the chunks, and bring the pot to a boil. Lower the temperature to medium-high and let the potatoes cook until tender, which should only take about 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain and transfer the potatoes to a medium-sized bowl, mash, and leave to chill. I often make the mash the night before and leave it to cool overnight. 

Mix the dry ingredients and add to the mashed potatoes.

Once the mash has cooled, mix 1 cup of flour and 1 teaspoon each of salt and baking soda, and add to the potatoes.

I use all-purpose flour but I've also made boxties with a gluten-free version as no xanthan gum is needed.

Grate the remaining potatoes onto a clean tea towel.

Peel, halve, and grate the remaining potatoes onto a tea towel. These shreds will add a great texture to the boxty.

Wring the shredded potatoes out in a tea towel.

Once you've grated the potatoes onto a tea towel, twist and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. I find it easier to wring when I've arranged the pile of potatoes in a sausage shape, rather than a bowling-ball form.

Toss the shreds with the other ingredients and mix well.

Add your buttermilk to the potato-dry ingredient mixture.

Once you've combined your potatoes and dry ingredients, mix in a 1/2 cup of buttermilk, adding small amounts until it achieves an almost dough-like consistency.

You may not need a lot of buttermilk but, if you've squeezed those shreds particularly enthusiastically, you might need up to 1 1/4 cups.

Add ice cream-scoop-sized dollops of the potato mixture to your greased pan.

Heat butter in a frying pan or skillet over medium-high. You can use oil, but butter (or lard or bacon grease) makes the potato dish extra tasty. 

Add your ice cream-scoop-sized potato mixture to your pan and flatten with a spatula.

Leave your boxties over medium-high heat to fully cook through.

You don't want to cook your boxties too fast or the insides will remain raw.

Cook each side for three to four minutes, until golden brown. Keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest.

Serve boxty with a poached egg, grilled asparagus, and Hollandaise sauce.

You can serve boxty as a sweet or savory meal.

Some people opt for sweet toppings, like applesauce or honey, but I love them with a hunk of strong cheddar or goat cheese, smoked salmon, bacon, sausage, or salami, or as boxty Benedicts.

For a boxty Benedict, I add a poached egg, grilled asparagus, Hollandaise sauce, and scallions on top of the potato cakes.

Alternatively, boxty also pairs well with caramelized onions and cheddar.

I also love to serve boxty with cheddar and scallions.

Boxty is great the next day too – just pop in the toaster, oven, or microwave to reheat.

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