Happy Pancake Day! Who doesn’t love this time of year? The sun is beginning to emerge from its period of winter hibernation and there’s a great excuse to get involved in a bit of tradition, and a delicious tradition at that! Most of us rustle up pancakes in preparation of our luxury and indulgence downtime throughout the Lenten period (well we try, but usually fail to keep it up!) – but what’s the history of the tradition?

The tradition of using the pancake dish at this time of year was birthed in the Anglo-Saxon period. Christians used to make up pancakes as a way to use their eggs and fats before the fasting period began. On the same day, they would head to confession to plead forgiveness for their sins, this was also known as the process of being ‘shriven’ which helped coin the religious name for the day, ‘Shrove Tuesday’.

So what’s the potato got to do with all this? Well, the spud is a fantastic ingredient to use if you’re looking to put a unique and flavoursome spin on your pancake traditions. We’re talking savoury pancakes! They are superb alternatives to the classic sweet ingredients commonly used in the traditional pancakes such as sugar, lemon and chocolate.

Savoury Potato Pancake Recipe with Asparagus

This delicious recipe finds the tasty fresh flavours of asparagus, smoked salmon steaks, dill and a scattering of soft rooster potatoes mingling with the pancake base. These flavours are all brought together by a helping of Crème Fraiche. Unique, simple and effective!

Explore these other recipes from the Love Potatoes recipe archive which could also really work as a fantastic and unique topping for your pancakes.

Bubble and Squeak with Crisp Ham Shards

An awesome way to use up your leftover food! The pancake holds superb flavoursome and complementary qualities to these ingredients. This recipe is great because the ingredients are so malleable, you can switch around the meats and veg involved but the fundamental basis of the method is delicious.

Patatas Bravas with Chorizo In Red Wine Sauce

This tapas classic works beautifully with the pancake. Allow the exotic flavours of chorizo and red wine to seep into the base and play with the fresh flavours in the hearty base below. Absolutely delicious and something a little different!

You can explore the rest of our broad recipe archive right here on Love Potatoes, check out our newest recipes, healthy recipes and quick recipes to get you started.