Irish Potato Scones

Irish Potato Scones

  • Serves: 12 scones
  • Prep Time: 00:15
  • Cooking Time: 00:20
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Potato Scones or fried potato patties are native to Ireland and Scotland. I've used the purple/red skin sweet potato with white flesh to make a paleo friendly version. These scones make a great side dish for breakfast with bacon and eggs or you can serve them with grass-fed butter, chia jam or honey on top. They are delicious topped with fermented chutney for a savoury snack or serve with stews to scoop up the gravy. Leftover scones can be sliced in half and toasted, then filled and eaten like a sandwich.

Ingredients

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  • 500g purple/red skin sweet potato (white flesh), peel and dice
  • 3 Tbsp coconut cream, to mash the sweet potato
  • 2 cups almond meal/flour
  • 2/3 cup arrowroot flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
  • 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 Tbsp ghee, for cooking

Directions

Add the peeled and diced sweet potato to a medium saucepan of boiling water. Cook, simmering for 10 - 15 minutes or until tender (I dice the potato small to shorten the cooking time).

Meanwhile, add the almond meal, arrowroot, baking powder and salt to a large bowl. Mix well to combine and to remove any lumps.

Drain the cooked sweet potato using a sieve, then return to the pot. Add the coconut cream and mash the potato well (this potato doesn't mash soft like regular sweet potato, it's a firm drier texture).

Add the still warm mashed potato to the dry ingredients and mix through well with your hands to create a smooth soft dough. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 portions. Take a ball of dough and flatten between your palms to create a 7cm round patty, 5 - 6mm thick (the scones will rise slightly when cooking). Repeat with the remaining dough portions.

Heat a large frying pan on medium heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of ghee and swirl over the base of the pan. Add half the round patties and cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and cook the second side for 4 - 5 minutes, adding another 1/2 tablespoon of ghee. Once cooked, transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining patties.

Serve warm with bacon and eggs for breakfast or at room temperature spread with grass-fed butter or ghee. Delicious topped with fermented chutney for a savoury snack. Serve with stews to scoop up the gravy or dipped into soup.

purple/red skin sweet potato (white flesh)

The purple red skinned variety of sweet potato with it's white flesh, is the second most popular variety of sweet potato in Australia. It is also know as 'Northern Star'. It isn't as sweet as the most popular golden orange variety and has a nutty flavour. It has a firmer dry flesh and will take a bit longer to cook. It's perfect for people unable to eat nightshade vegetables but would like a white fleshed potato. It isn't high in beta-carotene (vitamin A) like the orange variety.

coconut cream

I use this extensively throughout my recipes; from soups to dinners to desserts and cakes. I think it is the best dairy-free alternative. It gives so much flavour and creaminess to a wide variety of dishes. When purchasing in the can read your labels, even some organic brands contain gums and thickeners, choose full-fat not low-fat versions. I use Honest To Goodness organic cream 400ml and Ayam which isn't organic but has no additives or thickeners and is much creamier and thicker than other brands (that's why I love it), it comes in 400ml, 270ml and 140ml size cans.

almond meal/flour

The most favoured gluten/grain free flour substitute in my kitchen is almond meal. It is finely ground blanched almonds and is also known as almond flour. It has a slightly sweet flavour so you don’t have to add as much sweetener when baking with it. Almond meal/flour is rich in manganese which helps the body heal after injuries and also helps the body break down carbohydrates. Almond flour is also rich in magnesium, which can help control your blood sugar levels. It's rich in vitamin E and other antioxidants, which may help reduce the risk of serious health conditions like cancer, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Almonds are also a good source of calcium.

All kinds of nuts can be ground down to make a meal and are excellent for raw cheesecake or pie bases. Nut meals/flours are best stored in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer to prevent them going rancid.

arrowroot flour

Arrowroot is a herb, the roots are cultivated for its starch properties. It is used in my recipes as a thickener and I also like combining it with almond meal to produce a much lighter texture, more like a gluten flour. I find the starch helps to bind the ingredients together. You can substitute tapioca flour, which is made from the dried roots of the cassava plant. Tapioca can be used in baking, it has a slightly sweet flavour. However, I do not recommend thickening with tapioca, as it has a stretchy, gummy texture. Supermarkets only sell in very small containers, which is not cost effective. Purchase from baking specialty stores, health food stores or online. ( When substituting for cornflour in recipes, 2 teaspoons arrowroot = 1 tablespoon cornflour/starch).

baking powder (gluten free)

Baking Powder is a rising agent for baked goods. If substituting for baking soda you will need 4 times the quantity. Ensure you purchase a gluten free, no aluminum brand. Alternatively, you can make your own baking powder; 1 teaspoon of baking powder is equal to 1⁄4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1⁄2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. Note, that they should only be combined when preparing your recipe.

sea salt

Organic unbleached, unrefined organic Celtic sea salt or pink Himalayan salt is my salt of choice as these contain healthy minerals and trace elements that our body needs. Regular table salt has been bleached, refined and processed leaving minimal health benefits. If you choose to use regular table salt in my recipes you will need to reduce the quantity or the end result will be to salty.

ghee

Ghee is a lactose-free ancient superfood. It is made by slow cooking and clarifying butter to remove the milk solids and lactose, it's pure butter fat. You can get the flavour of butter in your cooking without the dairy (please don't consume if you have an allergy to ghee). My favourite brands are Organic Valley Purity Farms or Puresoul grass-fed. It is also very easy to make yourself. Ghee has a high smoke point 485F/250C.