Paleo Irish Boxty Loaf

Something a little different for your St. Patrick's Day feast!

For the printable recipe click here.

Boxty on the griddle,

Boxty in the pan.

If you can’t make boxty,

You’ll never get a man.

Cute, no? That’s an old Irish rhyme (well. . . according to Wikipedia anyway), highlighting the theoretical cultural prevalence and relevance of boxty in Ireland.

I did not, however, encounter boxty in my travels to the Emerald Isle. My first exposure to boxty was many years ago at the wonderful Fiddler’s Hearth pub in South Bend, Indiana. There, boxty was a sort of savory potato crepe filled with different combinations of deliciousness--my favorite, the Chicken and Leek.

At some point after my love for the Fiddler’s Hearth variety was established, I saw a travel show highlighting three completely different styles of boxty. My beloved crepe-like boxty was nowhere to be seen!

I was intrigued, especially by a preparation that involved pressing a potato mixture into a dish, cutting the pressed substance into cubes, and frying till delightfully crispy. That is the iteration that most inspired the one you see here.

We start with smashed-up steamed or baked potatoes (omitting the traditional, grated raw ones), mix with potato starch (in place of flour) and eggs (for binding), bake in a loaf pan, and gently pan-fry slices till crisp and delicious. The monsters can't get enough.

So while you’ll see a lot of recipes for boxties that look like latkes and some that look like crepes, some more like dumplings and some more like bread--some on a griddle and some in a pan--one thing is clear: boxty presents the opportunity to embrace the diverse possibilities of the potato--whether one is interested in “getting a man” or not. :)

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 cups steamed or baked potato, skins discarded

• ⅔ cup potato starch

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tsp salt

• ½ tsp baking powder

• Olive oil or bacon grease for the pan

Here's what you'll do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper so that the paper extends over the sides

2. In a large bowl use a potato masher to smash the potatoes into bits--not going for smooth and creamy here.

3. Add the remaining ingredients (except for oil), stirring with a spatula till evenly distributed. Small lumps of potato should still be expected.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan, flattening with the spatula. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

5. Using the parchment paper as handles, lift the loaf out of the pan and cut into about 15 equal slices using a greased knife or bench scraper.

6. Heat enough oil or bacon grease to come about ¼ inch up the sides of a skillet over medium heat till shimmery. Add the slices in batches and cook about 2 minutes on each side or till golden brown and crispy.

For the printable recipe click here.