Potato farls, hot off the griddle
Ireland's other bread — mashed potato and flour shaped flat and griddle-fried until golden. Part of every Ulster fry. Perfect with fried eggs, beans, and Irish butter.
Potato farls (also called potato bread) are an Ulster classic, flat, soft, slightly chewy cakes made from cold mashed potatoes, flour, and butter, cooked dry on a griddle until they pick up scorch marks. The genius is that they use leftovers: if you made too much mash for Sunday dinner, Monday breakfast is sorted. Each round is cut into four triangular pieces (the "farls"), then fried with butter in the bacon fat from your full Irish. Soft inside, slightly crisped outside, made for soaking up egg yolk. They are the most quietly perfect part of the Irish breakfast plate.
Method
Mix the dough.
Combine the cold mashed potato, flour, butter, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until a soft dough forms — it should hold together but not be sticky. If too sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time.
Roll out.
On a well-floured surface, roll the dough to about 8mm thickness. Cut into rough squares or triangles — the traditional shape is a quarter circle (hence "farl" from the Irish for quarter).
Griddle-fry.
Heat a cast-iron griddle or heavy pan over medium heat. Add the butter and let it foam and subside. Cook the farls for 3–4 minutes per side until golden-brown patches form and the outside is crisp.
Serve hot.
Serve immediately with fried eggs, a smear of Irish butter, or as part of a full Ulster fry.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does the mash need to be cold?
- Warm mash absorbs flour unevenly and makes the farls gummy. Cold mash (refrigerated overnight) holds together properly and gives the right texture, soft inside, slightly chewy.
- Can I make these from scratch potato?
- Yes, boil 500g floury potatoes, mash with butter and a splash of milk, season with salt, and chill overnight. The next morning, follow the recipe as written.
- Can I freeze potato farls?
- Yes, shape the farls but don't cook, freeze in a single layer, then bag. Cook from frozen on the griddle, adding 2 extra minutes per side. Great for batch-prepping a week of breakfasts.
- What's the difference between farls and boxty?
- Both are Irish potato breads. Farls use cooked mashed potato and are cooked dry. Boxty uses raw grated potato + mashed potato and is more like a pancake. Different texture, different region (boxty is more Connacht).
- How do I serve them?
- As part of a full Irish breakfast (with eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, tomato), or simply with butter and a fried egg. They are also excellent with smoked salmon and dill.
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