Erin Go Bragh!

"Boxty in the griddle. Boxty in the pan. If you can't make boxty, you'll never get your man." I'll give you three guesses at what I had for dinner last night...




For those not in the know, boxty is an Irish dish similar to a potato pancake (but different then the Jewish Latkes). To me, they seem similar to an omelette, just without the eggs. Typically they are fried on a griddle with some butter and filled with a savoury filling of your choice.




The first time I was introduced to this amazing meal was on my 16th birthday. Kilkenny's Irish Pub located on Cherry Street has been my favorite restaurant here in Tulsa ever since. Every time I go, I vow to try something different. And every time I still end up ordering the Kilmacow (seared beef with mushrooms, the only time I'll ever actually come close to eating one of those little fungi) topped with the Irish cheddar sauce (it comes with a whiskey sauce, but they allow substitutions on all sauces for their boxty).




By some chance I happened to pull out one of my Irish cookbooks and flipped immediately to the page with the recipe for boxty (I'm still not completely convinced that it wasn't St. Brigid or even St. Patrick himself guiding me to the recipe). The recipe isn't terribly difficult, but does have a few steps to it. The nice thing is it's customizable to your tastes. Craving chicken? On a veggie bender? Can't go another minute without lobster? I hope you enjoy it as much as my sister and I did (the first words out of her mouth after her first bite were, "Oh.My.God! This is so good."). Enjoy!



Boxty Potato Pancakes
Recipe by Irish Food & Cooking

For the filling
1 Tbl olive oil (I didn't measure; you just need enough for searing the meat)
1 lb stew meat
2 cups beef broth

For the potato pancake
1 lb potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used red potatoes since it was all I had)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
Salt to taste
Pat of butter (I used more so the pancake wouldn't stick; maybe about a tsp. per pancake)

For the cheese sauce
2 Tbl butter
2-1/2 cups milk
1 Tbl cornstarch
1 Tbl cold water
1.5 lb shredded cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar, Gruyere, and a Spanish cheese that is similar to cheddar)

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, sear the stew meat in the olive oil. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about an hour until the liquid has cooked completely away.
2. Meanwhile, place the peeled and chopped potatoes in a blender or in the bowl of a food processor and process until the potato is thoroughly liquidized (I used the food processor; next time I'll use a cheese grater; mine never liquidized, but that was OK because I wanted it to be similar in texture to hash browns; I also did not peel the potatoes as I was getting lazy).
3. Add the flour and enough milk to processed potato to give a dropping consistency, and add salt to taste. The milk and flour can be adjusted, depending on how thin you like your pancake. Heat a little butter on a griddle or cast-iron frying pan.
4. Pour about a quarter of the mixture into the pan (I used about 1/2 cup for each pancake). Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the cake. Once the pancake is finished, place your desired filling inside and either roll or fold (I do the omelette method, but you can do the crepe method).
5. To make cheese sauce, place butter and milk in a medium sized pot. Mix the cornstarch and cold water and set aside. Bring the milk to a boil, and while stirring constantly, add cornstarch mixture.Once the sauce reaches desired consistency, begin adding the cheese, a little at a time until completely incorporated. This can be seasoned as needed.