Tell me something, do YOU want to be more Irish? Oh g’wan! Just admit it. Even I wish I was more Irish and I’m sure Alex wishes he was too, even though he’d never admit it and probably start muttering about the damn potato famine…

Yesterdays favourite, the potato farl is as Irish as.. potato and it’s delicious too. I’m a fan of most potato things, like crisps, thick chips, french fries and potato wedges (basically, cover it in hot fat and I’ll eat it) but I hate boiled potatoes, or mashed ones. This, however, is an acceptable kind of boiled and mashed potato.

The potato farl is also often called potato bread and it’s an important ingredients in the Ulster fry, an incredibly fatty breakfast consisting of fried potato farls, soda bread, bacon, sausages and eggs, preferably fried in lard. That’s not how I roll but I’m sure they’d be good fried… We had potato bread in England and I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind since.

Ok, recipe time!

Vegan potato farls:

• 1 kg (2 lbs) potatoes
• 3 tbsp vegan margarine
• 2 tsp salt
• 450 ml flour (just under 2 cups)

Peel and cube the potatoes. Boil until soft and then mash or use a potato ricer. Add in the margarine and salt and stir until the margarine has melted. Work in most of the flour and then knead on a floured surface. You might need more or less flour depending on the texture of your dough. You want a stiff non sticky dough. Take balls of dough and roll out to a 0.5 cm (1/4 inch) thick cake about 15 cm (6 inches) across. Sprinkle the cake with some flour. Cook in a dry pan on medium heat until both sides are golden. Flip it occasionally. Cut each cake into quarters. Makes about 10 cakes.

To fry the bread add a little oil to a pan and fry for about a minute on each side in some oil. Serve warm.

Recept på svenska: Irländskt potatisbröd