Gourmet Food Parlour ★ 4.0
Gourmet Food Parlour in Galway runs a weekend brunch menu from 9am; the eggs royale and pancake stacks with seasonal fruit are the most popular orders.
Order: Pancake stack with Connacht butter and seasonal compote
History
Boxty belongs to the potato-kitchen traditions of western Irish counties, particularly Connacht and Ulster, where the potato was the dominant subsistence crop before the Great Famine. The name comes from the Irish aran bocht ti, meaning poor-house bread, reflecting the dish origins as a way to use every part of the potato harvest including the starchy water from grating. The Gourmet Food Parlour in Galway and John Keoghs gastropub both run boxty as a fixture on their full-Irish and lunch menus, continuing the tradition of cooking the dish with local Connacht floury potato varieties like Kerr Pink and Golden Wonder.
Common allergens: Gluten, Milk, Egg
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g floury potatoes (e.g. Rooster or Maris Piper)
- 200g dry mashed potato (from about 200g floury potato, boiled and well-dried)
- 100g plain flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 100ml buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 0.5 teaspoon white pepper
- Butter and a little oil for frying
Method
- Peel and coarsely grate the raw potatoes. Place in a clean cloth and wring out as much liquid as possible.
- In a large bowl, combine the wrung-out grated potato with the cold dry mashed potato.
- Add flour, egg, buttermilk, salt and pepper. Mix to a thick batter.
- Heat butter and a little oil in a heavy frying pan over medium heat.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake into the pan. Flatten gently to about 1cm thick.
- Cook 4-5 minutes per side until deep golden brown and cooked through.
- Serve with smoked bacon, black pudding, sour cream and chives.
Tip from the editors. Squeezing every drop of water from the grated raw potato is the most important step; water in the batter makes soggy boxty and stops the crust forming.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat irish potato boxty
Irish Potato Boxty in Galway
John Keogh's ★ 4.3
John Keoghs on Dominick Street Galway pours 14 draught craft lines and 80 Irish whiskeys in a Victorian bar that anchors the West End craft scene.
Signature drink: Irish whiskey flight from a 150-bottle back-bar selection
Food: Full kitchen: wild Atlantic seafood, fish pie and seasonal mains
Dela ★ 4.7
Dela on Dominick Street Galway serves weekend brunch from 10am; the sourdough toast with local eggs and seasonal farm vegetables is the standout dish.
Order: Dark rye with cultured butter and seasonal compote, followed by grain porridge with Connacht honey
Brasserie on the Corner ★ 4.2
Brasserie on the Corner on Eglinton Street Galway is the city brasserie for large brunch tables; full Irish and eggs Benedict run Saturday and Sunday.
Order: Eggs Benedict with Connemara smoked salmon on toasted sourdough with dill hollandaise
More cities are in research. Want irish potato boxty covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.