- 1
Ingredients
- 3 slices of streaky bacon or rashers
- 2 medium floury potatoes (250 g/1/2 lb), peeled
- 1 cup mashed potatoes
- 3 scallions, white and light green parts only, finely sliced or chopped
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- knob of butter
- canola oil
Preparation
Step 1
Directions
Set a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the bacon until it’s crispy and cooked through. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Once it’s cool, chop it into small pieces and set aside.
Spread a clean tea towel on the countertop. Place a box grater on top of the middle of the towel and grate the potato directly onto the towel. Gather up the corners of the towel and wring out as much water from the potatoes as you can into the sink (although back in the day, women would wring out the potatoes over a bowl and save the starch that settled on the bottom to stiffen their ironing). Put the grated potatoes into a large bowl along with the mashed potatoes, bacon and scallions and mix well to combine. Add the flour, baking soda and some salt and pepper to taste (though not too much salt because the bacon has a lot).
Using your hands, mix the ingredients together until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and shape into a circle, then roll it out until the dough is 3 mm (1 inch) thick. Using a scone cutter or the rim of a small glass, cut the dough into rounds. Reshape the dough and repeat until all the dough has been used up.
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and melt the butter along with a little (canola) oil to stop the butter from burning. Add the boxty circles in a single layer, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, and fry for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. These are best served warm.
(Note) Stephen Hennessy says waxy potatoes don’t make good boxty, so use a floury variety such as Rooster or Golden Wonder instead (or Yukon Gold in the States). Using mashed potatoes made with milk and butter will make a slightly richer boxty, but plain mashed potatoes are just fine too. Instead of frying small rounds of boxty, you can shape the dough into a circle about 3 mm (1 inch) thick and transfer it to a greased baking tray. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 150°C (300°F), until the boxty is cooked through and the top is golden. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then cut into 6 wedges.