Potato Pete’s Potato Scones

Recipe from Eleanor Barnett

Adapted by Ligaya Mishan

Updated October 1, 2024

  • Photograph by Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Paige Hicks.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(34)
Comments
Read comments

These scones are surprisingly decadent for a recipe devised in wartime Britain as a way to stretch rations of flour and butter. As adapted by the historian Eleanor Barnett from a 1940s pamphlet produced and published by the Ministry of Food, it uses up leftover mashed potatoes and lets you get by with about half the amounts of flour and butter that a typical scone recipe might require. There’s less of a rise, since potatoes lack gluten and thus can’t create the long, elastic strands of protein that trap air and bring buoyancy. But the extra starch gives the scones softness and a delightfully tender crumb. Out of a limited batch of ingredients, you 12 scones, enough to create 6 scone sandwiches with your choice of filling: a sweet slather of cocoa powder, sugar, butter and a dash of milk, evoking cake frosting, or a quick savory slaw of shredded cabbage and carrots, livened up by onion chutney. —Ligaya Mishan

Featured in: Want a Better Scone? Try Adding Potatoes.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:6 scone sandwiches

FOR THE SCONES

  • Oil, for greasing

  • 1 ⅓ cups/170 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ cup/113 grams leftover mashed potatoes

  • 2 tablespoons margarine or butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature

  • 3 to 5 tablespoons milk, plus extra for glazing

FOR A SWEET FILLING (ENOUGH FOR 6 SANDWICHES)

  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 3 ½ tablespoons margarine or butter, at room temperature

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon milk

FOR A SAVORY FILLING (ENOUGH FOR 6 SANDWICHES)

  • 1 cup/30 grams grated cabbage

  • ⅔ cup/30 grams grated carrots

  • 2 tablespoons onion chutney

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

38 grams carbs; 1 milligram cholesterol; 281 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 13 grams fat; 2 grams trans fat; 2 grams fiber; 276 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 11 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the scones: Grease a large baking sheet. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Rub in the margarine or butter with your fingers, then add 3 tablespoons of the milk and gently work to form a soft dough, adding 1 or 2 more tablespoons of milk, if needed.

  3. Step 3

    On a floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough until it’s about ⅓-inch thick. Cut into 12 circles using a 2-inch cookie cutter. Brush the tops with just enough additional milk to glaze.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, setting them about 1 ½ inches apart, and bake until golden on top, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

  5. Step 5

    Make your desired filling: For the sweet filling, in a small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, margarine, sugar and milk thoroughly. For the savory filling, loosely combine the cabbage, carrots and chutney.

  6. Step 6

    Make the sandwiches: Once the scones have cooled, divide your desired filling among half the scones and top with the remaining scones to form sandwiches.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
34 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

OZ

Most likely because the recipe is from a war time English pamphlet distributed by the Ministry of Food (1984 anyone?) because basic staples like butter were rationed, and if you had no butter, then margarine would do.

Peter

I would NEVER have half a cup of “leftover” mashed potatoes! (That little would disappear from somebody’s plate in this household.) But would (Gasp!) INSTANT mashed potatoes suffice - either made ahead or by adding to the flour (with a proportionate increase in liquids)?

MJ

@Kathleen V Naples Why not? Tons of people choose to not eat dairy or are dairy intolerant.

L$

I had hardly any butter, but lots of (smoked blue) cheese, these came out amazing. my mashed potatoes were very liquidy, so only added 1 cup of flour. Will definitely make again next time there are leftover mashed potatoes.

Ariel

What a great way to use up the leftover spuds for this small family!

Diana

I tried this today and mine didn't rise at all. I'm not sure if it's because I used gluten free flour. They are also pretty plain- might be OK with a sweet filling. Not sure I'll make it again.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted by Ligaya Mishan

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.