Boxty Pancakes

Boxty was traditionally eaten with freshly churned butter on St. Brighid's Day - February 1st. The word is from the Irish "Bacstai" and refers to the traditional method of grilling over an open fire. There's also a popular old rhyme associated with the term:
"Boxty on the griddle, Boxty in the pan,
if you can't make a Boxty, you'll never get your man."

The following recipes serve four to six.

Boxty
Ingredients:
8 oz potatoes freshly cooked in their jackets
8 oz peeled raw potatoes
2 cups white flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Salt (optional)
Butter for frying.

Method:
Peel the cooked potatoes while still hot and mash.
Grate the raw potatoes and add to the mashed potatoes.
Add flour and soda. Add salt if desired.
Mix well and add enough buttermilk to make a stiff batter.
Heat a heavy frying pan and grease with butter.
Drop batter by spoonfuls onto heated pan and cook until crispy and golden brown on both sides.


Irish Farmhouse Potatoes
Contributed by Hartson Dowd

Irish raw materials are so good, we don’t like to dress them up in fancy sauces that would mask their natural, wholesome taste. And what better way to treat our national vegetable, the potato, than to serve it simply.

There is a long established belief that Sir Walter Raleigh introduced the potato into Ireland in 1588, planting the first crop in his garden in Myrtle Grove, in Youghal, Co. Cork. They soon became a common item in the Irish diet.

The potatoes beloved of the Irish are not the waxy varieties, but the dry ones, whose skins crack towards the end of cooking – referred to as ‘balls of flour’, or ‘smiling spuds.’ Favorite varieties of potato are Home Guard, Aran Banners, Kerr’s Pink, Golden Wonders, and British Queens.

Potatoes were easily grown in Ireland and with only an acre or two of land, a farmer could grow enough potatoes to support his whole family.

Scalloped Potatoes
Serves 8 to 10

Thinly sliced potatoes layered with cream and baked until they are bubbling and browned are a classic accompaniment to a holiday ham or roast beef. Although the supermarket shelves are lined with “add water, heat, and serve” versions of scalloped potatoes, making them from scratch doesn’t have to take much time, and the differences in flavor and texture are tremendous. For the fastest and most consistent results, slice the potatoes in a food processor.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1cup shredded cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

Method:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until foaming subsides, about 1 minute. Add onion and sauté until it turns soft and begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, milk, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and potatoes and bring to simmer. Cover, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain light simmer, and cook until potatoes are almost tender (paring knife can be slipped into and out of center of potato slice with some resistance), about 15 minutes.
2. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Transfer potato mixture to 3-quart gratin dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cream has thickened and is bubbling around sides and top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.


Scallop Pie with Potato Crust
This Irish version is extremely tasty for holiday dinners as the potato crust gives it a wholesome touch. It's nice served as a main-dish casserole or in individual baking shells as a first course.

Ingredients:
3 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound of bay scallops
1-1/4 cups of milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
8 ounces of white mushrooms, sliced
One-quarter cup of dry sherry

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F
1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
Drain and mash. Set aside.
2. Rinse the scallops and pat dry with paper towels. In a small skillet, bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat and then add the scallops, and cook until the scallops are opaque, 12 to 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the scallops and liquid.
3. In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat.  Stir in the flour, then gradually whisk in the reserved liquid. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer, add the mushrooms and cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in the sherry and the scallops.
4. Pour the mixture into an ovenproof casserole dish or spoon into 8 ovenproof scallop shells and cover with the mashed potatoes, making sure they cover the mixture right to the edges
5. Dot with the remaining 1-tablespoon butter
6. Bake until the top begins to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Image: Potatoes Print from All Posters

The New Irish Table
by Margaret Johnson