Boxty Cakes for St. Brigid

By propping myself up on one foot Tuesday evening, I managed to try a new recipe to celebrate St. Brigid’s Feast Day on Feb. 1, a day also known to most everyone as Groundhog Day. However, since St. Brigid was born in Ireland around A.D. 451 or 452, a long time before groundhogs were celebrated for their shadows, she’s the one I honored.

© June Scroggin, All Rights Reserved

You can find all sorts of Irish recipes online honoring St. Brigid, but I chose Boxty Cakes using a recipe from fish eaters.

Boxty Cakes

• ½ pound hot cooked potatoes
• ½ pound grated raw potatoes
• 2 cups flour (see my note below)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ cups buttermilk
• Butter for frying
• Salt and pepper

Drain, peel and mash the hot potatoes. Stir in the raw potatoes, flour and baking soda. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with enough buttermilk to make a stiff batter. Shape into 3 inch patties about ¼-inch thick and fry on hot, greased griddle until crispy and golden on both sides.

Note: I carefully followed the recipe, but the end result tasted more like flour than potatoes. Next time, I’ll try Rachel Rappaport’s recipe posted on Coconut & lime. Her version calls for only ¼ cup of flour.