Equipment
Ingredients
Potato Farls
- 250 g mashed potatoes, cooked, completely cooled, unseasoned
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 15 g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 g kosher salt, fine
Soda Farls
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 2 g baking soda
- 2 g kosher salt
- 120 ml buttermilk, cold
The Fry Meats
- 4 pork sausages
- 4 back bacon slices
- 2 black pudding slices
- 20 g lard
Vegetables & Eggs
- 2 large eggs, room temperature, about 100g total
- 1 beefsteak tomato, halved crosswise, about 200g
- 100 g button mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Combine the cold mashed potatoes, 50g all-purpose flour, melted butter, and salt in a mixing bowl. Work the mixture with your hands until it forms a cohesive, pliable dough.
Transfer the potato dough to a lightly floured surface. Flatten it into a circle roughly 1cm thick, then cut into four equal wedges or farls. Set aside.
In a clean bowl, whisk together the 150g flour, baking soda, and salt for the soda farls. Pour in the cold buttermilk and mix swiftly with your hands or a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overwork.
Turn the soda bread dough onto a floured board, shape gently into a circle about 1.5cm thick, and cut into four wedges. Dust lightly with flour.
Heat a dry griddle or heavy pan over medium-low heat to approximately 150 degrees Celsius or 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the soda farls for 10 to 12 minutes per side until deeply golden and cooked through to the center.
On the same dry griddle, cook the potato farls for 4 to 5 minutes per side until they develop a crisp, golden-brown crust. Remove all farls and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.
In a separate large cast iron skillet, melt the lard over medium heat 160 degrees Celsius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry the pork sausages, turning frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes until heavily browned and the internal temperature reaches 74 degrees Celsius or 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Push to the cooler edge of the pan.
Add the back bacon and black pudding slices to the skillet. Fry the bacon for 3 minutes per side until the fat renders and crisps. Fry the black pudding for 2 minutes per side until the edges are crispy. Remove all meats to a warmed plate.
Place the tomato halves cut-side down and the whole mushrooms into the rendered pork fat. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until the tomatoes caramelize and the mushrooms are tender and browned.
Push the vegetables to the side. Fry the eggs in the remaining seasoned pan fat for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the whites with hot fat occasionally, until the whites are fully set and the yolks are still runny.
Briefly drop the cooked potato and soda farls into the skillet for 30 seconds per side to absorb the deeply flavored pan drippings. This is the defining characteristic of an Ulster Fry.
Transfer all components to warmed serving plates immediately. Arrange the meats, vegetables, and fried farls around the fried egg.
Chef's Notes
- The hallmark of an authentic Ulster Fry is that the breads are fried in the residual pork fat, creating an unctuous, savory crust you cannot achieve with butter alone.
- Baking soda reacts immediately with the acidic buttermilk. You must work quickly once the liquid is added to the soda bread dough to preserve the leavening power.
- Never prick your sausages before frying. Keeping the casing intact acts as a natural pressure cooker, ensuring the pork remains succulent and moist.
- If using a traditional heavy cast iron pan, heat management is crucial. Let the pan heat slowly rather than blasting it on high, which causes hot spots and uneven searing.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store meats, breads, and vegetables separately. Fried eggs do not keep well and should be made fresh.
Freezer: 1 month — Potato and soda farls freeze exceptionally well. Meats can be frozen prior to cooking.
Reheating: Reheat meats and breads in a 180C/350F oven for 10 minutes or pan-fry to restore crispness.
