Irish Potato Bread

Great-aunt Isabel married an Irishman, Big Johnny Sullivan. He was actually small in build and short, but for awhile he was bigger than his first son with Isabel, Little Johnny Sullivan. They were differentiated in the family by calling them "Big John and Little Johnny," until Little Johnny grew up to be "Johnny Datsun" to my friends, because he once drove me to school in his sporty Datsun convertible.

So we have an Irish branch on the family tree, to which I'm not related by blood, but...

Peel too many potatoes one night for dinner, make mashed potatoes, and the next day make Irish potato bread with the left-overs.

• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/4 cups mashed potatoes (seasoned with salt and pepper as you had them for dinner)
• 1 beaten large egg
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• grease (vegetable oil, butter or bacon fat) for the fry pan

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Stir into mashed potatoes.
3. Beat in egg and buttermilk.
4. Shape dough into a ball. Knead.
5. Add a little more flour if necessary.
6. Divide dough in half (or in thirds if you don't have a large fry pan.)
7. On a floured board, roll out each dough ball into a circle about a centimetre thick.
8. Heat oil or bacon fat in a pan.
9. Fry dough 2-3 minutes, then flip and fry the other side.
10. Cut into wedges to serve.