Bridey, the protagonist in THE LATECOMERS, hails from West Ireland where boxty made frequent appearances at her family’s dinner table. I discovered boxty (pancakes made with potatoes) in my research but had never encountered boxty in person until I had the pleasure of dining at the Oscar Wilde Restaurant where, to my surprise, it was on the menu. “Roasted Salmon with Irish Boxty Potato, Cream & Dill Sauce.” I ordered it, of course (research!) and found it delicious. But I guessed I was dining on fare far fancier than the plain pancakes that came out of most Irish pans in 1908 when my protagonist shares her last supper with family; she means to marry in secret and run off to America the next day.
Boxty! (potato pancake beneath the salmon)