Authentic Irish Potato Farls – Traditional Irish Cooking Classic
Steam rises from a bowl of mashed Irish potatoes, a knob of butter melts into the mix, and suddenly you’re halfway to one of the greatest comfort foods in Irish cuisine: potato farls. No yeast. No fuss. Just four humble ingredients—potato, flour, butter, and salt—coming together like they’ve known each other forever. Because, well, they have.
Irish potato bread, also called farls, isn’t your tall, airy boulangerie showpiece. It doesn’t need to be. This is proper Irish cooking—flat, golden, and fried in a pan until crisp at the edges and tender in the middle. Think potato pancakes met flatbread and decided to become best friends. The result? Utterly addictive.
Every home cook exploring Irish dinner recipes should have this one in their back pocket. IMO, it’s one of the simplest Irish recipes authentic to the core. Mash the potatoes, mix in flour, butter, and salt, roll it out, cut into triangles (that’s what “farl” means), and fry. That’s it. No drama.
And let’s talk about where they truly shine: beside an Ulster Fry. Eggs, sausages, rashers, maybe some soda bread—and those golden farls soaking up every last bit on the plate. Breakfast? Yes. Little lunch? Absolutely. Midnight snack straight from the pan? Don’t judge.
What I love most is how quickly they disappear. I’ll make a batch thinking it’ll last the day. FYI, it never does. One minute they’re cooling on the counter, the next they’re “taste-tested” into oblivion.
While Scottish recipes have their own potato breads, Irish potatoes hold a special place at the heart of Irish cuisine. Simple, honest, deeply satisfying. Sometimes the best Irish recipes aren’t complicated at all—they’re just made with care, a hot pan, and maybe a bit of butter melting on top.
Authentic Irish Potato Farls – Traditional Irish Cooking Classic
Recipe by: Alma
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8 from 16 reviews
Ingredients
- 750 grams potatoes, about 1.65 pounds
- 30 grams butter, melted
- 225 grams plain flour, roughly 1 1/2 cups
- A generous pinch of salt, skip if using salted butter
- Additional butter and olive oil for frying
Method
- Start by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into large chunks. Place them into a big saucepan and cover with cold water. Set the pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat slightly so the water maintains a steady simmer. Cook until the potatoes are completely soft when pierced with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes thoroughly in a colander and allow them to cool for a few minutes until safe to handle. When ready, press them through a potato ricer into a large mixing bowl. If you do not have a ricer, mash them very well with a potato masher, ensuring the mixture is smooth and free from lumps.
- Pour in the melted butter, then add the flour and salt. If you plan to include any optional extras for additional flavor, mix them in at this stage. Stir everything together with a spoon at first. As the mixture thickens and becomes harder to stir, switch to using your hands to bring it together into a soft dough.
- Assess the texture of the dough. It should feel slightly tacky but still workable. If it sticks excessively to your fingers, sprinkle in a little more flour until it becomes easier to handle.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently for a short time, just until the dough looks smooth and holds together nicely. Avoid overworking it. Add a dusting of flour as needed if it continues to feel too sticky, but keep in mind that the dough should remain soft.
- Divide the dough evenly into six portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Take one ball and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Dust a rolling pin with flour and flatten the dough to your preferred thickness. For thinner bread, roll it to about 3 millimeters thick. For a softer, thicker result, aim for about half a centimeter.
- Cut the flattened round into four triangles, or leave it whole if you prefer larger pieces.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add a small amount of olive oil along with a knob of butter. Once the butter has melted and begins to sizzle gently, place a few pieces of dough into the pan, making sure not to overcrowd it.
- Cook on one side until golden brown, then flip carefully with a spatula. Fry the second side until it is also golden and the bread is cooked through. Transfer the cooked pieces to a baking tray and keep them warm in a low oven. Cover loosely with foil to prevent them from drying out.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough, adding more butter and oil to the pan as needed. Serve warm.
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