Potato Pancakes (Irish)

In the recipe collections I've encountered from eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century Anglo-Irish country house kitchens (many of them in the archives of the National Library in Dublin), potatoes are rarely mentioned. This may be because potatoes were considered "poor food" and thus not much eaten at fancy tables - or, more likely I think, because recipes were written down for the use of hired cooks, who may not have known how to make lobster fricassée or turkey en gelée without instruction, but would certainly have known what to do with potatoes. This exception to the rule, however, does appear in "Miss Jane Bury's Receipt Booke," part of the Townley Hall papers, from Drogheda, County Louth, now residing at the National Library. It apparently dates from the early 1700s. These pancakes are simultaneously richer but lighter in texture than Boxty Pancakes.

4 cups mashed potatoes (850 g)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup heavy cream (240 mL)
¾ cup milk or water, or as needed (175 mL)
4-6 Tbsp. clarified butter

Put the potatoes, eggs, salt, and cream into a large bowl and stir well to form a thick batter. If the batter is too thick to flow from a spoon, dilute with a little milk or water.

Heat 2 Tbsp. of the clarified butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, pour about ¼ cup (60 mL) of the batter to form each pancake (they should be 4-5" (10-12.5 cm) in diameter); then cook for 6-8 minutes, flipping once.

Transfer the pancakes to a warm plate tented with foil to keep warm as they're done.

Serve topped with smoked salmon or as a side dish with meat or fish. Or serve with butter and sugar as a breakfast dish or dessert.

Makes 6-8 servings.