Irish Potato Pancakes

The feast of St. Brigid of Ireland, Abbess of Kildare, is coming up on February 1st.

"To honor St. Brigid, you must turn to dairy products, for she is the patroness of dairy workers. Choose a recipe that calls for buttermilk and butter and, of course, the potato. Pancakes are the traditional food in almost every country for celebrations, and Ireland is no exception." 
~ The Cook's Blessing

I ended up having a few extra peeled potatoes this morning,  so I decided to test a recipe for "Irish Potato Pancakes" from a great little out-of-print cookbook by Demetria Taylor, The Cook's Blessing.  The pancakes were simple enough to make and loved by my whole family.

Irish Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup freshly grated raw potato
2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
butter
sugar

Directions:

Mix and sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat eggs slightly in large bowl; stir in buttermilk. Stir in dry ingredients, mixing just until blended (batter will be slightly lumpy). Stir in grated potato, butter or margarine, and vanilla.

 

Ladle batter, a scant 1/4 cup for each pancake, onto greased heated griddle. Bake 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbles cover the top and underside is golden; turn; bake 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Serve at once, with plenty of butter. Sprinkle generously with sugar, as the Irish do.

Makes 3 dozen 4-inch pancakes.

Note:  This dish, also referred to as Boxty Pancakes, can be served on Shrove Tuesday and All Hallows' Eve.