**An old Irish rhyme: "Boxty on the griddle; boxty on the pan. If you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man!" Here’s you chance to learn to make them!**

Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes)

1 cup mashed potatoes (leftovers mashed potatoes work well)

1 cup peeled, grated, raw potato (Russets or Yukon Gold are recommended)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ cups buttermilk (or sour cream thinned with milk)

6 spring onions, finely sliced

4 oz Irish cheddar cheese, grated (such as Kerrygolds’ Dubliner or Aged Cheddar)

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Butter or oil for frying, 2 -3 tablespoons

—Grate the raw potatoes then and let drain briefly in a colander. Place the potatoes in cheese cloth of a cotton dishtowel and wring out as much of the liquid as you can.

-In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, raw grated potatoes, flour, baking soda, and all but 1/4 cup sliced spring onions. Mix until evenly combined.

-Gradually stir in the buttermilk, a little at a time, until you have a wet batter about the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Season the mixture generously with salt and pepper. (If batter appears too thick, add a little more milk or if too runny, stir in more flour.)

-Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat then melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Once the butter starts to foam, spoon heaped tablespoons of the Boxty batter into the pan, forming individual potato cakes. (Or use an ice cream scoop to make the sizes more uniform.)

-Fry for for 3 - 4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Sprinkle some of the grated cheddar over the top of the pancakes after flipping them over and allow the cheese to melt.

-Remove the cooked Boxty to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Keep them warm in a low oven while you continue frying the remaining batter. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve immediately so they are still crispy on the outside. Makes about 8 Boxtys.

-Boxtys are traditionally served with a pat of good Irish butter and a sprinkle of chopped spring onions or chives. They are often served with the Irish Ballymaloe relish as well, if available.

**Potatoes and onions together - an Irish dream come true!**

**Mix the ingredients together to create the batter which should be about the consistency of a thick cake batter.**

**Place by the scoop full into the hot butter in the pan. Fry 3 -4 minutes on each side until golden brown.**

**Place the cheddar cheese on top of the warm Boxtys so it melts, then garnish with a few more sliced green onions.**

**Boxtys should be crisp and golden on the outside but soft on the inside with the potatoes cooked through.**

**Makes a great, hearty breakfast or a delicious side dish for dinner!**

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**Using a mix of mashed and grated potatoes provides the best texture for Boxty though some areas make it solely with fresh grated potatoes. Using some mashed potatoes ensures that the insides are soft and cooked through, with a crispy exterior.

**Other Fillings for Boxty": Boxty is incredibly versatile and can be paired with various fillings. Here are some ideas:

Corned Beef & Cheese: One popular option is to fill boxty with corned beef and Swiss cheese. Cook the boxty as described above. Before flipping the second side, place slices of corned beef and Swiss cheese on over half of the pancake. Fold the plain half of the pancake over the filling and cover the pan loosely to melt the cheese.
Reuben Inspired: Create a Reuben Boxty by adding corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and either Russian or Thousand Island dressing.
Bacon & Cheese: Fill the Boxty with crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar cheese for a hearty option.
Mushrooms & Gravy: Sauté sliced mushrooms with butter, thyme, and sherry. Serve the cooked boxty with the sautéed mushrooms on top. Drizzle thetop with Irish broth gravy.
Sautéed Cabbage & Mustard Sauce: Serve Boxty alongside sautéed cabbage and drizzle with a mustard sauce made with butter, cream, mustard, and corned beef cooking liquid or beef broth.
Eggs & More: Boxty makes a fantastic base for a breakfast or brunch. Serve them with fried eggs, crispy bacon, sausages, or baked beans.

**For a simple gravy to serve on Boxty: Place a cup of rich beef, pork or chicken stock into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer then stir in 2 tablespoons butter. Mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in 2 tablespoons cold water and slowly add it to the simmering gravy while stirring, until it thickens. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, with the lid on. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ballyroe Relish Ingredients

800 g tomatoes chopped
200 g cherry tomatoes chopped
250 g apples chopped
250 g onion chopped
225 ml white wine vinegar
175 g dates chopped
300 g granulated sugar
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

Add all the ingredients into a large pot.
Stir thoroughly ensuring that the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to a boil and then bring down to a simmer.
Simmer for an hour, stirring regularly.
Let the mixture cool.
Place into sterilized jars.

cipes · 19. March 2019

Irish-style Country Tomato Relish

Last weekend, on Saint Patricks Day, we enjoyed getting together in the Arc Yinnar kitchen, next to the Yinnar Community Garden for another Kitchen Pantry Workshop to make this yummy irish-style sauce. It was great to see even more people in attendance and the kitchen full of eager cooks after a good recipe. We used tomatoes from the community garden as well as some members tomatoes and apples, it was a great opportunity to use up the glut of produce.

Even though I have spent a lot of time writing and in my garden lately, I know the recipes have been blogged about nearly every week lately, I guess its this time of year, to be out and about and sharing our Autumn harvest as well as swapping recipes. More of our travels and stories are being worked on and are coming up I assure you, but well I had to celebrate St Patricks Day, didn't I?

The recipe here is adapted from Rachel Allen, from the Ballymaloe Cookery School, who have been making Irish Country Relish for decades, and grow their own tomatoes on site to make their sauce in County Cork.

Like most tomato sauces its really adaptable and can be served as a condiment on multiple dishes,

Ingredients

800g vine tomatoes chopped and 200g cherry tomatoes chopped

250g cooking apples chopped

250g chopped brown onion

225ml white wine vinegar

175g sultanas

250-300g sugar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp all spice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

the tip of teaspoon of cayenne pepper (more if you like cayenne a lot)

1 tsp nutmeg

Method:

Firstly chop the onion and cook them down with a little butter (Kerrygold of course) and oil (I used rice bran) until they are caramelised, translucent with a little brown edging.

Add the onions and all other ingredients in to a big pot. Let sugar dissolve, bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Bring down to a simmer and leave to simmer for an hour, stirring from time to time to avoid the end of the pot burning, using a cast iron pot is the best way.

Taste and season if required with extra spices or salt/pepper.

Pour into sterilised clean glass jars. . Secure lids tightly.

After you put the sauce in the jars, the sauce is best if left to mature for a week or two in the pantry, so all the caramelised ingredients can meld together and mellow. Four to six weeks is optimal.

This sauce is ideal on burgers, bacon and eggs (or a bacon butty), sandwiches and of course potatoes (like proper hand cut irish style hot chips). I love to make this when my tomatoes are in abundance and the great thing about it, is that its not fussy on the type you have, so mix them all up to make this sweet sauce. I have gifted this for christmas and its really been popular, I've run out again.

Irish Potato Boxty