Tattie Scones

Leftovers. As the holiday season arrives you can be sure that we are all going to cook a lot more than normal, eat a lot more than normal, and quite likely have a lot more left over food than normal. What would Christmas turkey be if it didn't last until almost the New Year?!?! Turkey curry, turkey fried rice, turkey soup, and the ubiquitous turkey sandwiches are all part and parcel (pun intended) of Christmas cuisine.

But what about the other leftovers? There's only so much you can do with day old brussel sprouts or cauliflower, and I would not recommend eating them too many days after you cook them, unless you want some pretty noxious happenings going on in your stomach!

Fortunately though, we have the humble boiled potato (or tattie in the Scottish vernacular), which, while not so inspiring on the day it is cooked, gets a delicious makeover thanks to this traditional Scottish recipe. The great thing about this recipe is that it is so easy to make, and utilises ingredients that everyone has to hand anyway.

Ingredients

500g leftover boiled potatoes

100g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

50g butter

a pinch of salt

oil for frying

Method

Mash the boiled potatoes using a masher or the back of a fork. Add the butter and blend this into the potatoes. Try to gets as many lumps out of the potatoes as you can. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the mashed potatoes and then stir in gently, until you have a ball of dough. If it is too sticky add a little more flour.

Turn the dough onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out thinly, to about 5mm thickness. Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass to cut small rounds of about 2.5cm in diameter. 

In a large heavy bottomed frying pan, heat a little oil over a medium heat. Alternatively if you have a griddle you can fry the scones without any oil. Fry the scones gently 4 or 5 at a time, until they are browned on both sides. This should take around 8-10  minutes.

Serve immediately with a little butter. For an even more savoury variation, add a little grated cheddar cheese to the mashed potato before adding the flour.

Enjoy!

DID YOU KNOW?

Tattie scones are an integral part of the traditional Scottish breakfast, together with fried eggs, square sausage, bacon, baked beans and/or grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, toast and black pudding. All washed down with a strong cup of tea. The perfect way to start the day!

DID YOU KNOW?

A griddle is a cooking utensil with a flat surface for cooking food with no additional oil. In Scotland a griddle is known as a girdle, and can used for making oatcakes, potato scones and traditional Scottish pancakes. Just don't mistake it for your Granny's corset!