Potato Farls (Irish Potato Cakes)
Potato Farls, Irish Potato Cakes, tattie scones or potato bread (depending on which part of the British Isles you're from) are easy to make and great for breakfast or a snack. Serve with a big, cooked breakfast, eggs, beans, or cheese, or even sweet toppings like jam, plus butter melting on top.
For the best results, read the accompanying blog post and the Recipe Notes below before starting.
Ingredients
- 350 - 400 g floury potatoes e.g. Rooster, Maris Piper (weight is after peeling: please read Recipe Notes)
- salt
- pepper white or black
- 30 g butter (see Recipe Notes)
- 50 g plain flour plus extra for dusting
Instructions
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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).
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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.
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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. To make the classic triangular quarters, divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball.
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Sprinkle your work surface with a little flour (ideally, first cover with a silicone mat to reduce sticking) then roll or pat each ball into a circle ½ - 1 cm thick.
Cut each circle into 4.
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Heat a non-stick griddle or frying pan to medium, then transfer as many potato farls as will fit in without crowding them. Optional: grease with a little butter or oil first.
Cook the farls in batches if necessary, transferring them to a preheated baking tray in a low oven while you cook the rest.
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Cook until brown on both sides and heated all the way through.
This should take 3-5 minutes per side and they'll puff up a little when done.
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Serve with eggs, beans, bacon, sausages etc., buttered if liked, or with sweet toppings such as maple syrup or jam.
Can be stored for 2-3 days or frozen (defrost before reheating). Reheat on a griddle, in a pan, toaster, low oven or air fryer.
Recipe Notes
Peeled/unpeeled potatoes. If you prefer to peel your potatoes after cooking, start with a larger amount of potatoes so you end up with 350 – 400g. If you prefer to make farls with unpeeled potatoes scrub well before cooking.
Leftover mashed potatoes. While you can make farls with leftover mashed potatoes, this isn’t recommended if they contain more than a small of butter or any milk/cream. You would need to add more flour to get them to hold together, resulting in a heavy, gluey farl.
Butter. Some prefer no butter in their potato cakes. The amount can also be reduced if preferred. If using cold, previously boiled potatoes melt the butter before mashing to incorporate more easily.
This post is a completely rewritten version of one first published in 2020 with mainly new images plus a FAQ section in response to reader comments and queries.