Irish Cheddar Potato Scones

The rainy and windy weather today in Portland, Oregon reminds me of Ireland so I thought I'd share my favorite savory scone recipe. It will warm you up and give you an opportunity to use the homemade self-rising flour recipe from an earlier post.

The scone recipe is from a booklet I bought while living in Coleraine, Northern Ireland called "Step-By-Step Irish Farmhouse Cooking." The original recipe calls for rolling the dough into pretzel shapes and topping with cheese. Instead, I use the drop biscuit method because the less you work the dough, the more tender the scone.  It's also easier.

Irish Cheddar Potato Scones
(makes 8 large scones)

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup cold, mashed potato
1 oz. butter, melted
3/4 to 1 cup milk
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (I use Dubliner)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Sift flour into a bowl. Add mashed potato and mix. Add melted butter and enough milk to form a soft dough. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet and top each with a generous bit of grated cheese. Bake for 12 to 18 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Serve warm, spread with butter.

Two Flours You Don't Need To Buy

Self-rising flour and cake flour are staples in my kitchen but I never buy them because I can make them myself. It saves me money and it's easy.

Here are the recipes:
  
Self-Rising Flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Cake Flour
For 1 cup of cake flour, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Remove 1 tablespoon of the flour and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Sift two times before using.