Irish Boxty: Three Ways

They speak in Gaelic on the radio. As you drive north in your tiny car along thebrcoast, climbing the winding narrow roads, with a mist rising from the hills to yourbrright and the stormy Atlantic rolling below and pounding white waves and foambragainst the cliffs, you must stop often to let sheep pass. All the while, the radio playsbrsongs with rustic instruments and haunting vocals.br

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When you pull into a village, there is always a tavern, usually built of stone, hundredsbrof years old. Inside the tavern it is warm and dark with a yellow fire glowing on thebrhearth and wooden posts throughout the room to hold up the roof. Old men inbrcoats sit at the tables, four of them together, a half-empty pint in front of each. Theybrtalk politics, history, weather, always in the mellifluous cadence of Gaelic.br

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When the lady comes, she says something unintelligible, then smiles at your Amer-brican innocence of the language. In English, she lists the specials—something lamb,brsomething salmon, something egg, and always, always something potato. Thesebrfoods are all harvested within a few miles of the place; the sheep in the road, the hensbrin the wet grass, the potatoes in the rich black soil, the salmon in the grey water. Thebrrecipes have not changed in a hundred years.br

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The potato was introduced to Ireland in 1600 by Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1649, OliverbrCromwell and his Ironsides massacred the Irish and burned the island nearly tobrextinction, until all that was left of agriculture was the potato. The potato became thebrheart of Irish cuisine. For most, the potato was the entirety of the diet.br

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When you have one food only, you discover interesting ways to prepare it. Thebrbest preparation of all for the potato is the Irish boxty, from bacstaíin Gaelic, whichbrmeans pancake. The boxty lifts the humble potato to its culinary perfection.br

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Once you make a boxty, prepare yourself to want it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.brTo accommodate you, we offer these Irish boxty recipes three ways, for every meal ofbrthe day, in any order you like.br

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Begin with your boxty, made from mashed potatoes, and fried to golden delicious-brness. The toppings—Poached Eggs with Mock Hollandaise; Smoked Salmon withbrDill and Capers; and Lamb with Herbed Apricot and Crème Fraiche—are a celebra-brtion of Irish flavors.br

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These dishes are simple, easy to prepare, and extraordinarily delicious. Best of all,brevery ingredient in these recipes (save the salmon) can be found from a local Bendbrfarm. The one place to get all of these ingredients is Coastal Bend Health Foods inbrRockport, the only South Texas source for local lamb, beef, pork, or chicken, and onebrof the best produce stand in The Bend.br

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Did we mention the Irish know how to drink? If you want to drink like the Irish, youbrmust eat like the Irish. Enjoy a different boxty all day on St. Patrick’s Day, and thesebrGaelic comfort foods will carry you through your night, pint after pint, until it isbrtime to rise again, and begin a new day with a boxty.br

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Irish Boxtybr(Potato Pancake) 

Serves 4
brPrep time: 5 minutes
brCook time: 32 minutesbr

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Ingredients:br

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1 cup grated potato
br(about 2 medium potatoes)br

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1 cup mashed potatobr1 tsp baking powderbr1 tsp baking soda
br2 tsp saltbr

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2 eggs, beatenbr3⁄4 cup creambr1⁄4 cup butterbr

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Boxty with Poached Eggbrand Mock HollandaisebrDirections:
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Poach egg for 2-4 minutes, until egg white is coagulated and yolk remains mostly runny. Inbra small bowl, combine 1⁄2 cup crème fraiche,br1⁄2 tsp English mustard, the zest and juice ofbrhalf a lemon, 2 tsp melted butter and salt tobrtaste. Spread mock hollandaise over warmbrboxty and top with poached egg, micro-brgreens, and green onion.

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