An Irish boxty breakfast — crisp potato pancakes made with grated and mashed potato, served with grilled bacon, eggs and pan-fried tomatoes.
Boxty is the traditional Irish potato pancake — here it anchors a proper full breakfast with crisp bacon, fried tomatoes and eggs. Made with both grated and mashed potato, the pancakes turn out golden and crusty outside, soft within. Pure weekend comfort.
Prep 25 min
Cook 30 min
Total 55 min
Medium
- 4 large Potatoes
- 1 bunch Spring Onions
- 100g Plain Flour
- 1 Egg White
- 150ml Milk
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
- 3 tbs Butter
- 2 tbs Vegetable Oil
- 6 Cherry Tomatoes
- 12 Bacon
- 6 Egg
Video
Preparation
- First, set your oven to its lowest setting to keep things warm. Peel the potatoes, grate 2 and set aside, then cut the other 2 into chunks and boil for 10–15 minutes until tender. Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the grated potatoes using a clean tea towel. Mash the boiled potatoes, then mix with the grated potato, spring onions and flour.
- Whisk the egg white in a large bowl until it holds soft peaks, fold in the buttermilk, then add the bicarbonate of soda and fold into the potato mix.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp butter and some oil. Drop in 3–4 spoonfuls of the mixture and cook gently for 3–5 minutes each side until golden and crusty, keeping them warm in the oven while you cook the rest (adding more butter and oil each time). You'll get about 16 crumpet-sized boxty.
- Heat the grill to medium. Put the tomatoes in a heavy pan with a knob of butter and a little oil and fry for about 5 minutes until softened. Grill the bacon and keep warm.
- Stack up the boxty, bacon and egg, and serve the tomatoes on the side.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Squeeze the grated potato really dry; excess moisture makes soggy, heavy boxty.
- Combining grated and mashed potato gives the signature crisp-edged, tender-centred texture.
- Cook gently so the pancakes set through and develop a proper golden crust.
- Keep the cooked boxty warm in a low oven while you fry the rest of the breakfast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Raw potato holds a lot of water, which would make the batter loose and the pancakes dense and gluey.
Best cooked fresh, as grated potato discolours, but you can prep the components and combine just before frying.
It's lovely with smoked salmon and soured cream, or simply buttered as a side.
