Article by Brian Willis.

Boxty is a traditional dish found in the "Border" Counties of Fermanagh, Cavan, Donegal, and Leitrim . The main ingredient is potato and this recipe can be traced back to pre-famine times when potatoes were plentiful and the main source of food. It's been suggested that Boxty was a way of adding variety to a constant diet of "boiled spuds". So how was it made in the "old days"? I'm indebted to Margaret Gallagher for the following description, which incidentally is how Margaret still makes Boxty - for she lives in a thatched cottage with neither running water, electricity, gas, telephone, TV or any of those other "necessities" of modern life. BOILED BOXTY (the traditional way) Dust your crook (The crane over the fire) with a goose's wing or beesum (Clump of heather). This is to clean it and remove any soot which might fall into the pot. Fill the pot with spring water and hang from the crook over a blazing fire. As the pot is boiling, mix equal quantities of Mashed Potatoes and Grated Potatoes. The grated potatoes having been wrung in a flour pack. Add half of the above amount of Flour with a pinch of Baking Soda and a pinch of Salt. Mix these ingredients together adding Sweet Milk (cow's milk) to bind. Flatten the mixture on a floured table and, with an upturned porringer (mug), cut into Hurleys (see photo later for a "Hurley") and drop into the boiling water. Within 5 minutes these hurleys should rise to the surface . Then leave to boil for 35 minutes. Remove them, slice each one horizontally and fry in butter. Incidentally the water left over from boiling is rich in starch from the potatoes and was often used to stiffen collars and cuffs. Halloween Traditionally Boxty was made to be eaten at Halloween, but nowadays it can be bought in many Fermanagh shops all the year round. Margaret Gallagher and her colleague Kathleen Maguire run the Belcoo and District Historical Heritage Centre where there is a comprehensive display of local artifacts and written records. It's open to the public and you can get more details by phoning them on 028 6638 6536 (International 004428 6638 6536) They often entertain groups of up to 40 visitors and are regularly called upon to furnish everyone with Boxty. So not having a goose wing or big black pot to hand, I thought these two ladies were well qualified to show me how Boxty is made in the present day. BOILED BOXTY (for six people) Kathleen and Margaret get "stuck in" Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Place two crossed metal spoons in the bottom. This is traditional, but is still the best way of ensuring nothing sticks to the bottom. Take a quarter stone of potatoes (They used Kerrs Pinks for my demonstration) and peel, cook, mash half of them. Peel and grate the other, raw, half. Mixing in the milk and binding In a bowl, mix the mashed and grated potatoes together,                                          adding in about 2 lbs. of flour and a pinch of baking soda plus a pinch of salt Fold this mixture putting in milk for binding. Cutting out Then lay out on the flour strewn table. I suggested a board and was scoffed at for being so modern. 'No'- they insist - lay this mixture, about half an inch thick, directly onto the kitchen table. Now cut out the Hurleys using a mug, the edge of which has been coated with flour to stop it sticking. Simmering hurleys The hurleys are then dropped into the boiling water where they sink to the bottom, but magically - if you have your ingredients' quantities right - rise to the surface after about five minutes. Kathleen at the pan Leave them to boil for 35 minutes then lift out.                                                 Drain and slice horizontally. Fry in a little butter. "Any chance of another one please?" And how best to eat your Boxty?                                                                   Why, beside a turf fire of course.

Your responses:

I've made boxty with the recipe my mother grandmother and great- grandmother used. So congratulations to Cathy Flanigan Kelly(6-05+1-07) ,I think you got the REAL DEAL ! I am now passing this recipe onto my family. my husband loves to have it with curry. Its so easy ,and takes so little time.DO ASK SOMEONE TO JUST GRATE A FEW SPUDS!!!!!!!

Kathy Flanagan Kelly- Jan '07
When we were kids Mammy RIP made boxty and it was delicious.As I remember it she made it from grated raw potatoes,flour to thicken,a pinch of salt and a pinch of baking soda.This was fried on the pan, which was greased with bacon fat or lard.

Incidentally one year when I was home a neighbour gave me some which was bought in a shop,but the taste was nothing like the home made boxty Mammy made.

Margaret Reilly Diabo - Nov '06
I have tried for years to find the recipe for boiled boxty. My beloved mother used to make it for us back home in County Leitrim. I tried your recipe and it was just great, brought back fond memories of my childhood and home. Thanks. Margaret Montreal.

Kieran Burns - Sep '06
My mother in Enniskillen always made Boxty at Halloween, my father particularly enjoyed it. I remember one year she wasn't able to make it and my sister brought it from her home. She had used MASHED potatoes in the recipe and my mother wasn’t impressed. It's nice to hear that 'other' people make it the way my sister did.....I'll have to tell mammy, mammy's originally from Cavan!

Colum Maguire - Mar 06
I have been hunting round to get a boxty receipe for a long time.
I remember when I was little we would go "down the country" to Crosskeys in Co. Cavan in the summertime. My folks were Cavan and Monaghan

The boxty was made in a "oven". A cast iron pot hanging on the crane with the embers on top as well as the fire below. When it was turned out after baking it had a golden rind. It was soapy in texture and had a grey colour when sliced. Delicious even if it was never fried. When we would come home to Dublin we would take big lumps of it to school.

The buttermilk from the "dash churn" was another treat. Out in the hayfield we would put the "gallon" to our heads and lower the lumpy tart buttermilk. It had cut in it.

Does anyone have the recepie for the above boxty?

Alice O'Donnell - Dec '05
Our mother always made boxty for us (her seven children) on Holloween which was also her birthday. She made it the traditional way and always fried the boxty in bacon fat. YumYum! I enjoyed reading the receipe. Thanks for the memory.

Kathleen O'Callaghan - Oct 05
Thank you for bringing back such lovely memories of my childhood. My mother always made the fried boxty in the heavy frying pan over the open fire with plenty home made butter. My Aunt Elly made the boxty pudding in a floured cloth made from an old flour bag. This she would leave with us during Celidhe and my mother would cut it into thick slices and fry it in butter. The smell still lingers in my memory. We still make it. But your article warms my hearth.

Annie Gammell Harrow, Middlesex - June '05
I am back today from visiting Margaret in her home. What a woman!!! Her cottage is just amazing and she made us so very welcome.

Cathy Flanagan - June '05
In my family Boxty was fried rather than being boiled and the potatoes were all raw, grated - never boiled/mashed.

Ingredients were never measured, potatoes finely grated, add flour until it becomes quite a stiff mixture and pinch each of baking soda and salt. Then add milk to make a dropping conistency, (as for pancakes), and fry in butter over a medium heat making sure the centre is cooked. Serve spread with another good layer of butter and forget the calories - it's all good healthy fare.

Julia O'Keeffe - March 05
I was glad to find this recipe whish boils the boxty. I could remember my mother making it but had forgotten how to do it. She used to turn the mixture into a roll about the thickness of black pudding. This was enclosed in gauze like material and popped into a pot to boil. When it was cold she sliced it and fried it to accompany the traditional fry up. I remember it as very filling!!

Frances - March 05
Very informative. Never made Boxty myself, but have eaten plenty and love it. Now I might be able to give it a try myself. Thanks.

Caroline Workman - August '04

I'm doing some research for Slow Food - an international movement to protect endangered local food products such as boxty and need to gather evidence to show it is worthy to be admitted to Slow Food 'Ark' .