Irish Potato Bread for Breakfast: 500 Grams of Potatoes, a Little Flour and Three to Four Minutes a Side in the Pan

In Northern Ireland they call them potato farls - flat triangular potato breads, crisp and toasted on the outside, soft and dense on the inside. Their origin is simple: cheap ingredients everyone has at home, often the potatoes left over from lunch. The potato reached Ireland in the 17th century and quickly became a staple, especially for poorer families.

They are best eaten warm, with a little butter, and they are a must in the Ulster Fry, the hearty Northern Irish breakfast usually saved for the weekend: bacon, sausages, fried eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, soda bread and boxty, another potato dish. You still find them today in homes, cafés and restaurants serving a traditional Irish breakfast.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500 g floury potatoes
• 125-175 g plain wheat flour
• 30 g butter
• a pinch of salt
• extra flour for dusting
• butter or bacon fat for frying

Method

1. Peel the potatoes, cut them into pieces of similar size and boil them in salted water for 15-20 minutes, until soft.
2. Drain them well, return them to the pot for a minute over low heat so the moisture evaporates, then mash them into a smooth, lump-free purée.
3. While the mash is still warm, add the butter and salt. Gradually work in the flour, starting with 125 grams, until the dough is smooth and pliable. Add more only if it sticks.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle about 1-1.5 centimetres thick and cut it into 4 (or 6) triangles.
5. Cook them in a frying pan or on a griddle over medium heat, with butter or bacon fat, for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden and lightly crisp.
6. Serve immediately with butter and, if you like, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

The secrets. Floury potatoes, so the mash is dry and the dough is easy to work. No milk at all, because it adds too much moisture. The flour goes in gradually, since the amount depends on the variety and on how much water the potatoes soaked up. Don't knead the dough for too long, so the gluten doesn't develop. Medium heat, so the farls colour evenly and heat through to the middle. Bacon fat gives a more traditional flavour than butter or oil. And the potato-to-flour ratio? Every household has its own - just as every Balkan grandmother has her own measure for pita.