Most of us are used to scones meaning the English form of biscuits, often with served with butter, cream, and/or jam. But, there’s another version of scones that comes from Scotland and it has a much more humble appearance. The tattie scone is almost like a cross between a pancake and a tortilla except is made using mashed potatoes. These charming scones are often served in the morning alongside a “full Scottish” breakfast of beans, sausage or bacon, tomato, and eggs. But, they can also be eaten just as biscuits are, slathered with butter and jam.

Unlike other potato pancake recipes that use leftover mashed potatoes, to make these tattie scones you start with just boiled potatoes. Mash them up then add in a little bit of flour and some butter. The potatoes we used for these photos were Yukon gold which is why the tattie scones look yellow. You can use white potatoes if you prefer and the result will be a more pale color.

To fry them you make a ball then flatten it out. From there you can fry it whole and then cut it into 4 equal sections. Or you can cut each scone before it gets cooked so that they’re ready to serve just as soon as they come out of the frying pan.

Unlike pancakes these do not get cooked in oil. Instead a little sprinkle of flour keeps them from sticking to the pan. You’ll need to wipe out the flour after each scone is cooked. If you forget this step you’ll end up with burned flour which looks bad and tastes bitter. But, this method does have its upside in that you don’t need any oil for frying!

This type of scone is known as a quick bread and it brings a little bit of Scotland to your breakfast table- wherever you are!