Potato doughnuts are a delicious and unique variation on the classic doughnut that are loved by many people. Its dough includes mashed potatoes as one of the main ingredients. The addition of mashed potatoes to the dough helps to make the doughnuts moist and tender, with a slightly different texture than traditional doughnuts made without potatoes. I have found the following recipe in Tastes of Transylvania, a cookbook written by Éva Gergely.
Ingredients:
- 200 g (~7 oz) boiled potatoes, mashed with a ricer
- 500 g (~4 cups) flour
- 4 eggs
- 80 g (~1/3 cup) butter, softened
- 90 g (~3 1/4 oz) sour cream
- pinch of salt
- 100 ml (~1/2 cup) milk
- 70 g (~6 tbsp) sugar
- 20 g (~3/4 oz) fresh yeast (2 tsp dry yeast)
- oil or lard for deep frying
Dissolve yeast and 10 grams / 1 tablespoon of sugar in lukewarm milk.
Sift flour in a bowl. Combine flour and cool mashed potatoes, add eggs, butter, sour cream, salt, 60 grams / 5 tablespoons of sugar and activated yeast. With the kneading hooks of a mixer knead until smooth and shiny (see picture below). The dough will be sticky. Cover and let it rise for an hour.
Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface, and flatten and stretch with your hands until 2 cm / 3/4 inch thick. Cut out the doughnuts with a 6-7 cm / 2 3/4 inch cutter, cover and let them rise for 15 minutes.
Heat lard or oil in a pan. Make a hollow in the middle of each doughnut by stretching the dough. Over medium low heat fry the doughnuts until they become golden brown on both sides. Serve warm with fruit jam and/or powdered sugar.
