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Irish Vittles Compiled by Joanne M. Anderson
Honoring the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day is great fun, but we can enjoy Irish food and drink any time. Corned beef and cabbage may top the list of recognized foods, but actually the most popular meal in Ireland is still meat with two vegetables. Simple enough fare. The Irish are, however, known the world over for boxty, soda bread and Irish stew, which stands apart for using lamb or mutton for the meat. If you have not heard of boxty, then perhaps you are still single, as an old Irish rhyme goes like this: 'Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan; if you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man'. Soda bread has a unique texture and often includes raisins, but no cinnamon. It was originally fried in a pan because Irish wheat did not play nice with yeast and rise, so this uses baking soda to react with buttermilk. They are simple breads which go with every meal or no meal at all, simply as an Irish snack food.
Boxty aka Irish Potato Pancakes
1 ½ cups grated raw potatoes 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup leftover mashed potatoes 1 egg
1 tablespoon skim milk
salt and pepper to taste ¼ cup olive oil
Toss grated potatoes with flour,
then stir in mashed potatoes until combined. In a separate bowl,
whisk egg and skim milk; mix into
the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over
medium-high heat. Drop in potato mixture and form patties about 2
inches in diameter. Fry both sides
until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel. Serve warm.
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