Potato Farls, sometimes called Irish potato cakes or potato bread, are really easy to make.Containing just seasoned mashed potato, butter and flour, they’re surprisingly tasty too.Fantastic with a dab of butter and softly poached eggs, or include in a big breakfast with sausages, bacon, black pudding, tomatoes etc.You can even have them with sweet toppings like jam and maple syrup.
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POTATO FARLS
Any purists glancing through this post may have already spotted that some of my Potato Farls are not, strictly speaking, farls at all.That’s because the world farl comes from the Gaelic for quarter or fourth, and Irish potato cakes are usually made by cutting a circle of dough into quarters before griddling or frying.
However, I often prefer to make one big circle and cut into eighths.But, whether you divide the dough in half to make two circles and cut each into quarters, or do one big circle, getting soft-on-the-inside, golden-on-the-outside farls is still beautifully simple.
I’ve seen all sorts of combinations of ingredients for these potato cakes. Some include eggs, others have heaps of flour.
After some experimentation though, I’ve found the best Potato Farls are simply mashed potatoes with plenty of seasoning, some butter, and a small amount of flour.
THE POTATOES
Many people consider potato cakes to be a splendid way of using up leftover mashed potato.However, being in a greedy household, the concept of ‘leftover’ mashed potato is one we struggle with.
Besides, if you like a really creamy or buttery mash, then you might find that you’d have to add a lot of flour to get your Potato Farls to hold together. The result will be unpleasantly gluey.I’ve sometimes boiled extra potatoes at dinner time, keeping them aside for the next day’s farls.
But I think that potato cakes are so good, and relatively quick anyway, it’s worth cooking up a batch of potatoes specially for them.
I use 350 grams of mashed potato to make eight farls. So, if you’re starting off with raw, unpeeled potato, you’ll need 380-400 grams.As with any mash, floury potatoes (e.g. Maris Piper) are better than waxy ones.
You can learn about floury vs waxy potato varieties here.
After cooking, weigh to check you have around 350 grams: a little under or over won’t matter.
EASY POTATO FARLS
I’m sure you know how to boil, drain and mash potatoes. But, just in case, I’ve included full instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post 😁.
The main point to note is that the potatoes should be as dry as possible before mashing. I do this, after draining, by leaving the cooked potatoes in the sieve or colander for five minutes. This allows any clinging water to evaporate.
All you do then is add some pepper (I prefer white pepper here), a bit more salt if needed, and mash with butter. If you’re using cold cooked potatoes then melt the butter first so you can incorporate it better.
Next, stir in the flour to create a soft dough. For 350 grams of mashed potato I use 50 grams of plain flour.
On a floured surface, roll or pat out the dough into one or two circles. I like my Potato Farls relatively thin, so make the circle(s) not much more than half a centimetre thick.
Go thicker if you want, but I recommend no more than a centimetre.
Then simply cut each circle into quarters or eighths and you’re ready to cook.
COOKING POTATO FARLS
The potato cakes are cooked in an ungreased, non-stick frying pan or on a griddle. Some people fry them in fat, but I think that’s unnecessary.I cook mine on an electric table top grill.
I became a huge fan of these when I started using one for Sourdough Pancakes. As well as cooking very evenly and having good temperature control, the good size means I can cook eight farls in one go.
If your pan or griddle isn’t big enough to do this, then cook the potato cakes in batches. Keep cooked ones warm in a low oven while you finish the rest.
They’ll only need 3 to 5 minutes per side, on medium heat, to become cooked through and browned. The farls will also puff up a bit when done.
SERVING POTATO FARLS
Traditionally, Potato Farls are served as part of a hearty Irish breakfast or, north of the border, an ‘Ulster fry’. Over in Scotland they’re known as potato (or ‘tattie’) scones and are eaten in the same way.
A great change from toast or fried bread, I think potato cakes go really well with sausages, bacon, black pudding and the whole big breakfast experience.
The farls reheat well, so you can make them the day (or a couple of days) before and, in the morning, just put in the pan or on the griddle until warmed through. I’ve found they reheat successfully in a toaster too. Or you could put them in a low oven.
If you fancy something lighter, then farls are lovely simply topped with runny fried or poached eggs.Include a pat of butter to melt on top plus a few chives and they’re even better.
Although I haven’t tried it yet, I imagine smoked salmon and soured cream on farls would be great for a special occasion breakfast. Think of it as an easier blini!
If you want to go in the other direction, that of simplicity, then forget everything but the butter.
For a sweet farl, top the butter with a drizzle of maple syrup or a blob of jam.
Don’t worry that you’ll notice the pepper in the dough. I can confirm that once your sweet topping is on (like my homemade strawberry jam above) they’re good enough to eat as a dessert.
I hope you’ll give my Potato Farls or Irish potato cakes a try.
Simple, satisfying and incredibly versatile, you might just wonder why you haven’t been making them for years.
HAVE YOU MADE POTATO FARLS?
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Potato Farls, or Irish Potato Cakes, are easy to make & great for breakfast or as a snack.
Serve as part of a cooked breakfast with eggs, bacon etc. or even with sweet toppings like jam.
CourseBreakfast, Side Dish
CuisineBritish, Irish
Keywordpotatoes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting the potatoes 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8 potato farls
Author Moorlands Eater
Ingredients
- 375-400gfloury potatoes e.g. Maris Pipersee Recipe Notes to use leftover boiled or mashed potatoes
- salt
- pepperwhite or black
- 30gbutter
- 50gplain flourplus extra for dusting
Instructions
Peel the potatoes, cut into 2cm chunks and place in a saucepan.
Cover with cold water and season with salt.
Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender (12-15 min).
Drain the potatoes in a sieve or colander.
Rest the sieve or colander on the now empty saucepan and leave the potatoes to dry and cool for 5 minutes.
Tip out any water that's collected in the saucepan and return the potatoes to the pan.
Add some pepper, the butter, and mash until smooth.
Taste and add a little more seasoning if needed.
Mix in the flour to give a soft dough.
Sprinkle a board or work surface with a little more flour, then roll or pat out the dough into one or two circles, each ½ - 1 cm thick.
If you've made one circle, cut into 8 triangles. If you've made two circles, cut each into 4 quarters.
Heat a non-stick griddle or frying pan to medium, then transfer as many potato farls as will fit in without crowding them.
Cook the farls in batches if necessary, transferring them to a preheated baking tray in a low oven while you cook the rest.
Cook until brown on both sides and heated all the way through.
This should take 3-5 minutes per side: potato farls will puff up a little when done.
Serve with eggs, bacon, sausages etc., buttered if liked, or with sweet toppings such as maple syrup or jam.
Can be stored for 2-3 days. Reheat on a griddle, in a pan, toaster, or a low oven.
Recipe Notes
If you wish to use leftover cold potatoes to make farls, melt the butter so it can be incorporated more easily when mashing.
You can use leftover mashed potato, so long as it isn't very buttery or creamy as this would prevent the farls holding together without adding lots of flour, resulting in an unpleasantly gluey texture.
