Irish Potato Farls

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I had eaten Irish Potato Farls (or Irish Potato Cakes) on many occasions and, dare I say it, bought pre-made ones, but I had never made them until recently. I saw them on @guaca_coey insta feed and she very kindly sent me the recipe she used from All Recipes. In looking at the recipe, I realised I could very easily make these with leftover mashed potato.

I have been making mashed potato for years and years and seem incapable of making the right amount. I always make far too much and I was very excited about finding a quick and easy recipe to use them up. Now, having made the Potato Farls, I am even more excited because they were so delicious, so quick and use only your leftover potato with some flour and a little extra seasoning. I will definitely be making these again, and often!

Unlike shop bought ones, they are extremely light and fluffy, and are wonderful for breakfast, brunch, lunch or supper. Added to that, they turn mashed potato into a completely new and delicious dish and help reduce food waste at the same time. There is absolutely nothing not to love about this recipe!

Recipes for farls are consistent in their ingredients – mashed potato, flour, and seasoning. However, the amount of flour added to the potatoes varies greatly. This recipe has minimal flour, which is why they are so light and fluffy. Also, as I made mine with leftover mash, the mixture already included butter and milk which also softens the mixture. It does make them a little more difficult to work with as the mixture is very soft but it is worth it. Just treat them carefully and neaten edges as you go. It doesn’t matter if they are not perfect and they will become easier to handle as you cook them and the surface hardens a little.

Suggested accompaniments:

There are so many different ways you can serve Irish Potato Farls. Here are just a few ideas. Serve with:

• sausages. If serving for supper, add some onion gravy.
• bacon
• black pudding or white pudding
• mushrooms and tomatoes
• eggs – scrambled, fried or poached
• baked beans
• avocado – sliced or mashed
• smoked salmon and sour cream
• roast beetroot and creamed goat’s cheese
• hot fresh soup
• any casserole

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How to make Irish Potato Farls

Collect all your ingredients together:

• leftover mashed potato
• flour
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Make your farls:

1. Thoroughly mix the mashed potatoes with the flour, pepper and a little salt. Your potatoes should already be seasoned so there is no need to add too much more salt. I literally just added a pinch plus a little extra pepper.
2. Generously flour your work surface and tip the mixture onto it.
3. Flour the top of the potato mixture.
4. Use your hands to pat it down and shape into a rough circle shape. The mixture will most likely be very soft and sticky at this stage.
5. Flatten the surface with a rolling pin and neaten the edges with your hands. Your mixture should be approximately ¾ cm – 1 cm thick
6. Cut into 4.
7. Lightly flour your frying pan and place over a moderate heat. Please note that these farls are not cooked in oil or butter – they are dry fried in flour making them a much healthier option than potato cakes fried in oil and/or butter.
8. Carefully transfer the farls to the pan and cook until lightly browned on the underside.
9. Carefully turn the farls over and continue to cook on the other side until lightly browned. Use a spatula or a palette knife to neaten the edges, if necessary.

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No leftover mash but craving Irish Potato Farls??

If you do not have any left over mashed potato, but are craving Irish Potato Farls, you could also make these from scratch. They really would not take any time at all. See the ‘Recipe Notes’ for details.

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.