Irish Boxty Breakfast stack – The Potato Pancake That Beats Hash Browns

Irish Boxty Breakfast Stack — Backyard Chef (Rick)

Ingredients (as given or inferred)

• Potatoes
  • Cooked mashed potato — about equal amount to raw potato (eyeballed)
  • Raw potato, grated — equal measure to mashed (squeeze out excess moisture)
• Scallions / green onions — chopped, mixed into potato
• Plain flour — a little
• Baking powder — a little (explicitly baking powder, not baking soda)
• Milk — just enough to make a dropping batter (small amount)
• Salt and pepper — to taste (salt suggested on tomatoes to draw out flavor)
• Olive oil — for frying (a little)
• Butter — for frying (a little; Rick stresses using butter plus oil)
• Sausages — Rick cooks 2 (notes recipe written for 4 if you want a double breakfast)
• Bacon — “streaky end” (about 4 rashers cut in half in his example)
• Tomato — halved, pan-charred
• Eggs — 1 per stack (fried; Rick prefers a crispy bottom)
• Optional condiments: brown sauce (HP, Daddies, etc.)

Equipment & preparation

• Box grater (for raw potato)
• Clean tea towel/cloth (for wringing grated potato)
• Mixing bowl and spoon / gloved hand for mixing
• Frying pan / skillet
• Oven preheated to low (140°C to keep boxty warm and crisp)
• Tray to hold finished boxty (oven-safe tray or sheet)
• Tongs / spatula, scissors (to cut bacon)

Method — step-by-step (Rick’s sequence)

1. Prepare the potatoes

   • Grate raw potato and place in a tea towel/cloth; squeeze/ring out as much moisture as possible (a little moisture is OK).
   • Combine approximately equal amounts of mashed potato and wrung raw grated potato in a bowl.
   • Add chopped scallions/green onions.
   • Add a little flour, a little baking powder, salt and pepper.
   • Add a small amount of milk and mix until you get a slightly thick, dropping consistency (thick enough to drop and spread a bit when dropped into the pan).

2. Form and fry the boxty

   • Heat a frying pan with a little olive oil and butter over medium heat (flame not too high).
   • Drop spoonfuls of batter into the pan; flatten each to about 1 cm thick (rough guide).
   • Fry until you see color and a bit of crunch on the underside; flip and fry the other side (can turn a couple of times). Do not overcrowd the pan.
   • Remove and place on a tray; put the tray in a preheated oven at 140°C to keep warm and develop a crusty top while you finish the other breakfast components.

3. Cook the breakfast items (same or another pan)

   • Sausages: start cooking until browned and cooked through (Rick starts these first).
   • Bacon: add streaky bacon (cut in half) and cook to preferred crispness; render fat by turning as needed.
   • Tomatoes: place tomato cut-side down first, then turn to char the top. Sprinkle a little salt (and pepper) to draw out and enhance flavor.
   • Eggs: fry eggs to preference; Rick prefers a crispy-bottomed egg (let sit so underside crisps).

4. Assembly / plating

   • Stack: boxty on the bottom, then sausage(s), bacon, tomato, topped with the egg.
   • Alternatively, traditionally you might serve boxty on the plate with other items arranged around it rather than stacked.

Key temperatures / timing cues

• Oven: 140°C to keep boxty warm and to crisp the top.
• Pan heat: medium — don’t use too high a flame; aim for golden color/crunch before flipping.
• Thickness: flatten patties to about 1 cm so raw potato cooks through.

Techniques & chef tips

• Squeeze/wring grated potato well (tea towel method) to avoid soggy boxty; inner bits may need an extra squeeze.
• Use a mix of mashed and raw grated potato — Rick uses about equal parts (eyeballed).
• Batter consistency: slightly thick dropping batter — not runny; adjust milk to achieve this.

• Use a combination of oil and butter for frying for flavor and to prevent burning.

  Rick: use butter plus oil for frying — flavor and control.

• Flatten to about 1 cm so the raw potato cooks; don’t make them too big/thick.

• After frying, transfer to a low oven (140°C) to keep warm and add crust while finishing other items.
• Salt on tomato draws out and amplifies flavor (not to make it overly salty).
• You can reduce oil/butter to “dry fry” if preferred.
• Many regional/home variations exist — this is a basic version with scallions.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Not removing enough moisture from grated potato — leads to soggy boxty.
• Using too much raw potato relative to mash — raw pieces will take much longer to cook.
• Batter too wet — patties will spread excessively and won’t crisp properly.
• Overcrowding the pan — prevents proper browning.

Variations / notes

• Rick mentions many ways to make boxty and that cooks add different ingredients; this is a fairly basic version with scallions.
• You can make a single or double breakfast (he cooked 2 sausages but notes a version for 4).
• Option to dry fry with less oil/butter.
• Serving: traditionally not stacked — items usually plated around the boxty — but he stacks for the video.

Plating / serving suggestions

• Stack boxty, sausage, bacon, tomato, and egg as shown for a breakfast stack.
• Serve with brown sauce (HP, Daddies, or preferred brand) if desired.
• Alternatively arrange boxty on the plate with other components around it.

Presenter / source

• Backyard Chef — Rick (presenter). No additional sources referenced in the subtitles.