Scottish Potato Scones

A traditional Scottish treat that tastes good any time of the day.

Vegetarian. Hands-on time: 10 mins. Total time: 45 mins.

Contributed by Mike Lewis (July 2011).

A potato scone is a tasty and filling snack - and one that's very versatile. It's popular in Scotland, where it's eaten at all times of the day. You can eat it just as it is, or serve it toasted, with butter, jam or cheese. Or you can fry up a couple of the scones with eggs and vegetarian sausages for a quick and easy breakfast or lunch.

Of course, it's also an excellent way of using up left-over mashed potatoes.

If, like me, you're lucky enough to own an old-fashioned griddle, you'll be able to make potato scones in the traditional way. But don't worry. You'll also get excellent results if you use a heavy-based frying pan or skillet instead. Either way, there's not much effort involved.

Here then is my recipe for potato scones (or tattie scones, as they're often called where I live). As you can see, it's almost completely foolproof.

Ingredients

• 1 lb 2 oz (500 g) potatoes (that's 3 - 4 medium potatoes), peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 cup (4 oz, 110 g) plain white flour
• ¼ cup (2 oz, 50 g) butter
• Salt

Method

Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water until soft. Drain and mash.

Add the flour, butter and a good pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly.

When the mixture is cool enough to handle, turn it out on a floured board. Roll out to a thickness of about a quarter of an inch (6 mm).

Use a knife to cut the dough into triangles (which is the traditional shape for these scones), or use a pastry cutter to cut it into rounds. Either way, you should get ten to 12 scones.

Transfer the scones, two or three at a time, to a greased, heated griddle or heavy-based frying pan. Cook for about four minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

You can serve the scones straight away, or let them cool and keep them in the fridge for several days.

Note on quantities and temperatures:
Quantities are given in American (cups), imperial (oz, fl oz) and metric (g, ml) units. Do not mix the units - use one or other system throughout the recipe.
See also How much does a cup weigh?
oz = ounces, fl oz = fluid ounces, g = grams, ml = milliliters, tsp = teaspoons, tbsp = tablespoons.
Oven temperatures are given in degrees F (Fahrenheit) and C (Celsius).
For fan-assisted ovens, reduce the temperature by 20F or 10C.