Boxty Irish potato Cakes

Boxty (or in Irish ‘Bacstaí’) is a recipe also known as ‘Arán bocht tí’ which in Irish means “poor house bread”, this is a traditional Irish potato cake fried on an Irish griddle, or in a hanging bake pan over the fire. Boxty is now eaten as a side dish to a main course but it was once a staple in the diet of the rural and urban poor and was popularly served and eaten on All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween) and on All Souls’ Day in Ireland 

 Historical Foods: Irish Boxty

Serves 4-6

6 medium potatoes, boiled and drained

1 medium potato, peeled and shredded

1/2 cup potato starch

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup corn flour
1 teaspoon xanthen gum

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs

pinch salt

Bacon grease or butter or olive oil.

Mix together flours, starch, xanthen gum, baking soda and salt. Mash potatoes and mix together with the shredded potatoes,eggs and buttermilk; add dry ingredients slowly mixing to a stiff  batter.

Heat a large heavy skillet, then add bacon grease, butter or olive oil.

Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the grease to make cakes the size you please. When you see that the cakes have cooked half way up the sides, flip and cook until the cake is baked through. Serve immediately with butter and apple sauce and clotted cream or sour cream.