Delicious buttery Scottish Potato Scones recipe. No breakfast is complete without these thin and airy Scottish Potato Scones.
This post in partnership and sponsored by The Little Potato Company as part of their Brand Ambassador Program. We only support brands we love and cook with at home.
Scottish Potato Scones are possibly my favourite breakfast side dish. Light, airy, buttery flavours give me all the potato feels I adore. They’re crispy on the exterior with a light fluffy interior, making them perfect to soak up egg yoke and tomatoes.
This Potato Scones recipe is made from mashed Creamer potatoes which makes them perfect for repurposing leftovers, or making a batch from scratch. They freeze like a dream and are simply reheated in a frying pan directly from frozen – ideal for a make-ahead freezer recipe and for holiday entertaining. I’ve got a big batch sitting in our freezer waiting for the holidays this year — I can’t wait to share them with family and friends.
My childhood is filled with memories of coming home from church with my Grandparents to a full British Fry-up (a big fried brunch) every Sunday where Scottish Potato Scones were featured. I’m pretty sure my Nana bought hers, but I’m on team “made from scratch” from now on due to the effortless of this recipe.
And why not? These scones are incredibly easy to make (my 3 year old actually rolled them all out — even the ones in the photos) and contain very few ingredients. A bit of time in the kitchen makes for some tasty breakfasts ahead.
I added a tarragon cream to this dish to make the potato scones really shine with a full bacon and egg breakfast. The ingredients and directions are included in the recipe card notes below.
What’s in a potato scone:
Potato, flour, butter, and salt. 4 very simple ingredients that are most likely already in your house. Traditionally, a Scottish Potato Scone recipe uses peeled potatoes, however, I kept the skin of these Little potatoes on for more nutrients without compromising on flavour or texture. I also saved time on prep because of no peeling and these Little potatoes come prewashed too!. Their Boomer Gold varietal colour blends right in to this recipe.
Here, the Boomer Gold Little potatoes add more buttery flavour, fluffier texture, and cook in 5 minutes in the microwave! I know; it’s a dream come true when you’re approximately 7 minutes away from mouthwatering mashed potatoes at all times.
How to reheat potato scones:
A traditional Potato Scone recipe would include reheating the potato scones in bacon rendering. That means that you’d start by cooking the bacon in a pan, remove the bacon, and then add the scones to the pan for reheating. Alternatively, it can be as simple as throwing the scones into a hot frying pan and flipping after a few minutes (since there is already some butter in this Scottish Potato Scones recipe the frying pan can be dry without any form of grease in it) .
The bacon in Scotland does differ compared to the bacon in North America. I haven’t been back to the Scotland in a decade, but I remember Scottish bacon always being leaner than that of the bacon I can pick up at my local grocery store. I’d highly recommend removing most of the bacon fat (save maybe 1-2 tablespoons so the bottom of the pan is completely coated) from the frying pan before adding the potato scones to avoid them from becoming soggy.
Can you cook potato scones from frozen?
Sure can! And it’s encouraged. The potato seems to have a bit of time stabilizing in the freezer and when the scone hits a hot pan the outside browns really nicely. Frozen potato scones are also easier to handle since they’re solid and not in dough form.
Now don’t get me wrong, a fresh potato scone is scrumptious, but the frozen ones have a more “authentic” taste to me (probably because that’s what I’m used to).
Favourite Easy Potato Recipes:
- Crispy Salt and Vinegar Potatoes
- Herby Mini Hasselback Potatoes
- Mexican Street Corn Potato Salad
- Scottish Mince and Tatties
Delicious buttery Scottish Potato Scones recipe. No breakfast is complete without these thin and airy Scottish Potato Scones that are potato packed.
- 1.5 lbs (680 g.) Boomer Gold varietal by The Little Potato Company (left whole) OR 3 cups of leftover mashed Little potatoes (any varietal)
- 1/4 cup (57.5 g.) unsalted buttter
- 1 tsp kosher salt or fine sea salt
- 1/3-1/2 cup (43-64 grams) all-purpose flour
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Cook potatoes in the microwave on high for 5 minutes or in boiling water for 20 minutes. Remove from microwave or drain. (Skip this step if using leftover mashed potatoes)
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Mash (or use a ricer) potatoes leaving skin on with butter and salt.
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Slowly add flour, increasing until a dough is formed*. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 smaller portions. Rollout each portion until dough is approximately 1/4" thick (around 8-10" in diameter). Cut into 4 sections and prick gently with a fork all over.
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Preheat a large skillet or frying pan to moderately high heat (closer to high than medium). Add scones and cook, filliping once, for 3-4 minutes per side.
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Allow scones to cool on paper towel and keep warm in low-heated oven if not serving immediately.
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Potato scones are traditionally served after a quick fry in bacon fat (use the same frying pan the bacon was cooked in) to reheat them with a full breakfast (eggs, bacon, fried tomatoes, etc.).
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Potato scones freeze exceptionally well. I freeze in a single layer on a baking tray** and then place in a freezer bag for longterm storage.
* "a dough is formed" aka a dough that you're able to roll the dough out when it's dusted with a small amount of flour. The dough can't be too sticky otherwise it's impossible to roll. If too much flour is added then the dough becomes incredibly tough and the potato flavour is lost.
** If the scones are stacked and then frozen they won't separate from each other when it comes time to reheat them.
*** TARRAGON CREAM RECIPE:
Mix together 1 cup of sour cream with 3 tbsp of finely chopped tarragon and the juice from 1/2 medium lemon. Stir in a pinch of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Enjoy! xo