Potato Farl or Fadge

The Irish potato bread, also known as potato farl or fadge is a unleavened flat bread, cooked on a griddle, in which most of the wheat flour is replaced by mashed potatoes. It appeared at the beginning of the 1900's as people developed a way to make use of the leftovers of mashed potatoes. At the time, and since a the beginning of the British occupation of the Island, potatoes were the only staple food for the great majority of the population. Nowadays it is traditionally served for breakfast alongside the eggs, sausage, black and white pudding, etc... It exists a couple of variations from Northern Ireland: The Pratie Oaten made with fine wholemeal flour instead of the wheat flour and the apple Potato bread which is a potato bread filled with apple. It is a speciality of county Armagh.

There a recipe for 8 plain potato breads:

  • 225g/ 8oz warm cooked potato (floury potatoes work best)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 25g/ 1oz butter, melted
  • 50g/ 2oz plain flour
Mash the potatoes well, put them back into the pot on low heat for 5-8 minutes to dry them out. Add salt and butter, then work in enough flour to make a pliable dough. Divide the dough in two and roll out on a floured surface to form two circles 22cm / 9 inch in diameter and 1/2cm/ 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut each circle into quarters and bake on a hot griddle or non-stick frying pan for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned on both sides. Some people like to grease the baking surface, while others prefer a light dusting of flour for a drier effect.



"Veal is a very young beef and, like a very young girlfriend, it's cute but boring and expensive."

P.J. O'Rourke


Vegetarian, Nut free

0 comments: