Two Irish Takes On Potatoes for St. Patrick’s Day
While corned beef and cabbage is synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S., it's a dish rooted more in Irish-American culture than traditional Irish culture. This year, in addition to Irish soda bread and an Irish Cream-based dessert, consider whipping up (pun intended) two classic potato dishes — boxty and colcannon — for true tastes of Ireland. Bonus: Both come with built-in history lessons.
Ireland’s relationship to the potato is anything but simple.
Potatoes are not native to Ireland, but by the middle of the 19th century, geography, politics, economics and agriculture all helped to establish the humble spud as a dependency crop for the country's working population.
From 1845 to 1852, potato blight caused widespread crop failure, which then triggered mass starvation and disease. These dire circumstances heightened tensions between native Irish tenant farmers and the British ruling class, and ultimately sparked the forces that led to Irish independence.
By contrast, corned beef has never started a revolution (to the best of my knowledge).
Fortunately, preparing and enjoying fare like colcannon and boxty for St. Patrick’s Day is a far simpler matter. These humble dishes, born from the ingenuity of the working classes, help to define the culinary culture of Ireland. As such, they make potatoes an ideal ingredient for celebrating Ireland's patron saint.
Let’s take a closer look at these iconic recipes, both of which make an excellent base for your St. Patrick’s Day feast, whether served alongside Irish stew, sausages, or if you must, corned beef, and elevated by green cocktails from ICE Director of Spirits Education Anthony Caporale.
Boxty
Potato pancakes have a spiritual home in many world cuisines and cultures: from Jewish latkes to Swedish raggmunkar, to Irish boxty. Where other starches such as wheat, corn and rice are scarce, potato preparations are used as a sturdy base for meat, seafood and vegetable toppers. From the Irish arán bocht tí, boxty literally translates to “poor house bread.”
To make Irish boxty, use a starchy potato, like Idaho. Fashion finely grated potatoes into a batter — or when thoroughly drained of their water, a sturdy dough — and then bake, griddle-fry or boil as dumplings. The hallmark of Irish boxty (versus other potato pancake recipes) is the fine grain of the potatoes. Boxty can even be grilled thin and used as a potato crepe for various fillings.
Colcannon
What better way to dress up mashed potatoes for St. Patrick’s Day than to give them a flash of green? The name colcannon comes from the Irish cál ceannann, meaning “white-headed cabbage.” This would imply a dish that is more cabbage than potato, but colcannon is a definitive potato dish spiked with hearty greenery. That greenery is typically cabbage, though kale can stand in. (It will render a deep green hue.) Like potatoes, both cabbage and kale have sturdy, long storage capabilities, making it easy to imagine rural families relying on this dish well beyond the harvest.
Ireland’s primary potato variety of yore, the Irish Lumper, is a white potato that is more waxy than starchy. Thus, mashed potatoes made from Irish Lumper fare better when smashed (versus emulsified) and provide ideal conditions for hearty mix-ins. Scallions are another smart addition to either the cabbage or kale; they fashion another Irish potato dish known as “champ.”
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