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Ulster potato farls

Griddled potato bread

Fadge: griddled potato bread for the Ulster fry

Potato bread, often just called fadge or tattie bread, is the soft, flat quarter-round that sits beside soda bread in every Ulster fry from Belfast to Derry. Warm mashed potato is worked with a little flour and butter, rolled into a round, cut into four farls and cooked on a dry griddle. It is thinner than a Scottish tattie scone and is always fried golden before serving. Chef's tip: use only enough flour to stop it sticking; the more potato, the better the farl.
Total time
30 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
4
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Ingredients

Serves4
  • 16 oz potatoesfloury, peeled
  • ⅞ oz butterplus extra for frying
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 ⅛ oz plain flourplus extra for dusting

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What you'll need

Spices & pantry

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Method

0/5 done
  1. Step 1: Boil the 16 oz potatoes in salted water for 18 minutes until soft, drain well and mash while hot with the ⅞ oz butter and ½ tsp salt.

    20 min
  2. Step 2: Work in the 3 ⅛ oz plain flour gently to a soft dough; it should feel like play dough, not sticky.

    2 min
  3. Step 3: Pat or roll out on a floured worktop into a round about 1 cm thick and cut into quarters (farls).

    3 min
  4. Step 4: Cook on a dry, heavy pan over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes a side, until golden and dry. A common mistake is skipping the dry-cook; frying raw farls gives a gummy middle.

    10 min
  5. Step 5: Before serving, fry the farls in a little butter for 2 minutes a side until crisp.

    4 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
180 kcal
Protein
3 g
Carbs
27 g
Fat
7 g
Fibre
2 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does ulster potato farls take?
About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
What can I use instead of potatoes?
Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
What can I use instead of butter?
The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).

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