Is it bread? Is it cake? Or is it mashed potato? Irish potato farls are all these things in one. The ultimate budget-friendly, versatile comfort food that are ready to go at any time of the day; these satisfyingly dense quarters of heavy potato and light dough can be served as a side at breakfast or dinner or as a butter-drenched snack. Do St. Patrick proud and serve them in his honour this March.
For a full-on Irish breakfast feast, try honey buckwheat soda bread. Also in farl form! It’s one of the quickest bread recipes on the blog, ready in around 50 minutes and can be modified to gluten free.
Irish potato farls
Being a language geek, I always have to know the meaning of unfamiliar words. You might already know this about me if you’re an avid Vikalinka follower. So the first thing I Googled when I recently came across potato farls was: What does ‘farl’ mean? Well, it literally means ‘4 parts’ in Gaelic.
A potato farl or a soda farl is characterised by a deep cross cut into the round of bread, dividing it into clear quarters. This is either to let the fairies out or to bless the loaf, depending on your beliefs. It also makes it very easy to pull apart and share in hunks.
Potato farls, potato cakes, or potato bread as it is known in various regions, is a thrifty delight. Made from mashed potato and flour, with a little baking soda, baking powder and seasoning, they’re a quick and simple solution to using up leftover mash and a speedy alternative to baking regular bread.
Yes, you can use leftover mashed potato in this recipe, but I like to make a batch especially for super fluffy-textured, fresh flatbreads.
Recipe tips and notes
- Floury (starchy) potatoes yield the best results. The same as regular mashed potato.
- Season the mash well! Plenty of salt, pepper and butter. This brings the flavour, so don’t be stingy!
- To my palate, potato cakes can be a bit bland. I think the addition of green (spring) onions gives them a welcome tangy kick. But feel free to leave them out if certain diners might object to tampering with tradition.
- The dough is very soft and sticky. You’ll need plenty of flour to prevent it sticking when rolling it out. Dust the surface and the rolling pin.
- Farls are dry fried. Dust them with flour and use a non-stick pan.
- Make sure you use a pan with a lid or one you can pop a plate over as a makeshift. Cover the farls for 2 minutes while cooking so they puff up nicely.
Serving suggestions
Farls are traditionally a component of a full Irish breakfast or an Ulster fry (a Northern Irish breakfast). But when they taste so good, why restrict them?
These delicious little potato flatbreads go with absolutely any egg-based breakfast recipes, no matter the nationality! For example, a French omelette, shakshuka, or my Spanish-inspired breakfast casserole with sausage, chorizo and egg are all worthy partners.
Or quite simply, a poached egg with tomatoes and wilted spinach. My eggs benedict recipe offers handy tips for the perfect poached egg.
Besides breakfast, they make for a tasty, hot snack just slathered in butter. Or as part of a main meal, they go especially well with hearty stews like Irish beef stew (obvs!) or an easy chicken stew.
Storage and leftovers
Potato farls will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, fry them on the stovetop, either without or with butter this time. Or, as they are a flatbread, you can simply pop them in the toaster!
Accidentally made too many? Freeze them! The slender breads can be stacked up, separated by parchment paper, and frozen for up to 3 months. And there’s no need to defrost them! When ready to use, either pan fry or toast.
Other side dished to try
- Lemon Butter Green Beans
- Irish Mashed Potatoes (Champ Recipe)
- Jacket Potato with Spicy Baked Beans and Chimuchuri Sauce
- Honey Garlic Roasted Parsnips
Irish Potato Farls
Ingredients
- 250g / 1 medium floury (starchy) potato, such as King Edward or Russet
- 25g / 1 tbsp butter
- 75g / ½ cup + 1 tbsp all purpose / plain flour plus extra for rolling out
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 / ¼ cup sliced green onions
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters, then boil them in salted water until very tender. Drain and steam dry for a couple of minutes, then mash with a potato masher, mix in butter and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and cool to room temperature.
- To the bowl with mashed potatoes add the flour, baking powder and baking soda and mix to form a dough. It should come away from the sides of the bowl. Loosen with a bit of milk if too dry or add a tablespoon of flour if too wet. Divide the dough in half and shape into balls.
- On a floured surface roll out one ball of the dough into a disk about 1 inch thick and cut into quarters.
- Fry on a hot and dry pan for 4 minutes on one side or until you see golden patches, cover with a lid for a couple of minutes for the farls to puff up, flip and cook for 3 minutes longer. Repeat with the remaining dough.
