St. Patrick's Day Countdown: Fox in the Bag
Written by Ciaran on Mar. 14, 2026 | 0 Comments
There are just a few days left in our countdown to St. Patrick's Day, with an offer and some potato goodness for you each day until March 17th, with 17% off sitewide all weekend in honor of our national holiday.
Two red foxes or 'madra rua' in Irish (literally red dogs). This native species are found all over Ireland, but I don't see the connection with potatoes myself!
The recipe for today sounds rather intriguing, doesn’t it? Fox in the bag? I haven’t managed to find out where this evocative name comes from, but if you know, please tell us in the comments below! It does crop up in a few places, including the National Folklore collection with entries from Ulster and Connacht, suggesting it wasn’t just a local name.
A mention of Fox in the Bag from James Sorahan, recorded from an interview with Mrs Sorahan, aged 50, in Kilnaleck, Co. Cavan, in the 1930s.
Photo Credit: Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
Some know this dish as hurleys; many, including me, know it by its much less exciting name, potato dumplings, or even less inspiring, boiled boxty! But don't let that “boiled” put you off, nor the rather unlovely appearance of an uncooked or even half-cooked boiled boxty. I can assure you that this potato dish is tasty, versatile, and worth its spot in our countdown.
Now, those with good memories will recall that we spoke about boxty way back on Day 2 of our countdown, where we focused on the easiest of the three to make, pan boxty. Boiled boxty is the more time-consuming dish to make, which is probably why we seldom eat it at home, opting instead for the convenience of a shop-bought one! Shame on me!
Boiled boxty, not to be confused with pan boxty.
It has all the steps of a pan boxty, but instead of quickly cooking up your potato dough on a hot pan, the dough is rolled into large balls and placed in a pot of boiling salted water to cook for upwards of an hour! This is then left to cool a little before being sliced and cooked again.
Traditionally, these dumplings are fried in butter in a pan, but I have also heard of them being cut into large, thin rounds to use as a potato-y pizza base. We like them cut into thick chips (fries), lightly oiled and salted and roasted in the oven. One of the entries in the folklore collection suggests it could also be a dessert, with the addition of currants (raisins) and sugar, making it a sort of pudding.
A sweet boxty variation from Co. Clare.
Photo Credit: Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
Today, I am sticking with what I know, which is the savoury boiled, then baked or fried version. This is a version of what the owners of Drummelly Boxty suggest. It is gluten-free and, if you don’t fry it in butter, relatively healthy too!
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg of floury potatoes - In Ireland, the best bet is Roosters, but a Maris Piper or a Russet will do; you need that extra starch to hold everything together.
- Salt, a few generous pinches for the water, and to serve
- Butter for frying or oil for roasting
Method
- Wash, peel, quarter, and boil ½ of the potatoes in generously salted water for 15 to 20 mins, until fork-tender. Drain them, then return them to that hot pan to dry out for a few minutes before mashing well and leaving them to cool.
- While they are cooking, wash, peel, and coarsely grate the other half of your potato
- Gather this grated potato into a clean dry tea towel or muslin bag and squeeze with all you have to get as much moisture as you can out of it - if it is too wet, the boxty will fall apart.
- Take off any jewelry you are wearing on your hands - our usual PSA - and mix the now thoroughly dried out, raw grated potato into the cooled mashed potato.
- Using your hands, make your dumplings - some say golf ball-sized, but I think larger works better, especially if you are making chips out of them! A sliotar size (the ball for hurling, perhaps the origin of the name?), or a tennis ball could be used as a size reference. Just as you would with a sliotar, pass the dumpling between your hands a little to make sure it is well packed together.
- Carefully add your now beautifully compacted dumplings to a boiling pot of salted water. They will initially sink, but should begin to float after a few minutes.
- Let them boil away for 45 mins to one hour before removing them to drain and cool
- You can cook them again once cooled, but it's better to cover them and leave them to sit overnight so they really hold their shape.
- Take them out of the fridge and cut them up into your desired final size and shape - wedges work well. Fry them in a little butter in a pan or drizzle with oil and bake at 180° for 20 mins or so until browned.
- Sprinkle the twice-cooked wedges with sea salt and serve alongside a burger - my kids' favorite - some fish, or any number of meat dishes. This should make around 3 to 4 dumplings, depending on the size, and should easily feed four.
What's Next?
Check back tomorrow for Day 15 of our St. Patrick’s Day countdown, or open Door Number 14 of our 17 Days of celebratory offers!
Your Own Piece of Ireland Awaits
If you are looking for something a little more flashy than boiled boxty this St. Patrick's Day, all our fine jewelry is 17% off this weekend. Whether you're searching for a replica of a High stone cross still standing in Ireland today, a timeless Claddagh, or a piece of Ireland with Connemara Marble, your Irish treasure is waiting!
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Ciaran
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
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