Potato Doughnuts

 

I found myself with a quantity of leftover mashed potatoes that needed using up from our dinner the other night   I froze most of them, but wanted to use some of them to make some of our favorite Potato Doughnuts.

This Potato Doughnut recipe is not a yeasted doughnut. It falls under the auspices of a "cake" doughnut, meaning that the leavening in them is not yeast, but baking powder.  This also makes them a "quick bread" in that there is no rising time needed for them. You can simply mix, roll, cut and then fry.

This potato doughnut recipe comes from the Five Roses Cookbook, 1962 edition.  Five roses flour has been used by Canadians for over 100 years now. It is not available in my area now, but I believe it is still available in other areas.  

The first Five Roses Cookbook was first published over half a century ago, and is seen to be  a very reliable and practical cookbook with recipes that consistently deliver excellent results.

I don't know how many versions of it there have been through the years but I know you can find a more modern version of it on Amazon. 

Whenever I made doughnuts I am reminded of an incident that happened back in the mid 1980's.  I was going to be taking care of my next door neighbor's children after school on this particular day and I decided early on in the day that I was going to make all of the children (hers and  mine) a treat of doughnuts to enjoy for their afterschool snack.

They were not something I had made very often. Usually I made the cake type of doughnuts, but on this day I decided to pull out all the stops and make yeasted doughnuts and not just yeasted doughnuts, but jelly filled doughnuts!

 

I started making the dough early in the afternoon so that they would have enough time to rise, the vision of all the children sitting down and enjoying them after school upper most in my mind. I would win the "Top Mom" award for sure!

I can remember setting a plate of these doughnuts on table in front of them, along with cold glasses of milk and beaming with pride. I could hardly wait for them to tuck in.

Imagine my horror when a few minutes later, my friend's oldest daughter said to me, "Your doughnuts are very nice, but I like my mother's better. Hers are cooked in the middle!"  I was so embarrassed.  Pride really does goeth before the fall!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE POTATO DOUGHNUTS

The quantities are given for the half recipe. I will put the full amounts in brackets at the end of each line just in case you want to make the larger batch.

• 1 1/3 cup (182g) plain all purpose flour (2 3/4 cup/385g)
• 2 tsp. baking powder (4 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp salt (1 tsp)
• 1 TBS white vegetable shortening (2 TBS)
• 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar (1 cup/200g)
• 1/2 cup (70g) mashed potatoes (see notes) (1 cup/140g)
• 1/2 large free range egg, beaten (1 large free range egg)
• 3 fluid ounces (85ml) whole milk (3/4 cup/180ml)
• vegetable oil for frying (It should be at least 2 inches in depth in your skillet)

 

The list does not include the optional addition of ground nutmeg or the sugar for dredging the finished doughnuts in if you want sugared doughnuts. The original recipe did not include ground nutmeg, but I am rather fond of the flavor of ground  nutmeg in a cake doughnut.  Ground cardamom is also nice.

It is rather hard to cut a raw egg in half, so I beat the whole egg and then just measure out half of it.  A large free range egg weight about 2.5 ounces/71g so you will need half of that amount.  I just eye ball it myself.

 

You can use fresh mashed potato.  3 medium sized potatoes will give you 1cup of mashed, so 1 1/2 medium sized potatoes for half that amount. 

  

If you are using leftover mashed potatoes, make sure that you haven't added cheese, garlic or onion to them.  Those flavors are not really conducive to making tasty doughnuts!

 

HOW TO MAKE POTATO DOUGHNUTS

Making doughnuts can seem a bit scary and out of your comfort zone, but they really are very easy to make.  Trust me on this.  The scariest bit is frying them.  Do take great cake when using hot oil. If you fill your pan no more than one third of its depth with oil you should be completely safe. Never walk away from hot oil or allow the temperature of the oil to go above 390*/400*F (198*C/200*C).  

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.

Cream together the shortening and 1/2 of the sugar. Stir in the mashed potatoes to combine.

Beat and half your egg. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar and then combine this mixture with the potato mixture.

Add the dry ingredients, alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Combine well. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Press or roll the dough out on a lightly floured board to 1/2" inch thickness. Cut into doughnuts using a floured doughnut cutter.

 

Heat your vegetable oil in a deep skillet to 375*F/190*C.

Fry the doughnuts a few at a time until golden brown on one side. Carefully flip over and fry on the other side. This will take 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Drain on some paper towels and then dredge in granulated or icing sugar if desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. These also freeze very well.

Notes

If chilled left-over mashed potatoes are used, it is not necessary to chill the dough before rolling. You may also add 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg if you desire. (I did.)

SECRETS TO GOOD DOUGHNUTS

Doughnuts are a treat for the whole family, no matter when you choose to serve them. Ain't nobody going to turn one of these down!  The secret to a good doughnut is in the dough and how you fry them!

THE DOUGH should be soft but not so soft that you cannot handle it. A soft dough is easier to roll when well chilled. You can dust the board for rolling with flour generously, but try not to work it into the dough. The flour that clings to the dough will help with the browning.

FRY in deep hot fat that has been heated to 375*F/190*C. Use a deep fry thermometer to make sure of your temperature if possible.  If the fat is too hot the doughnuts will cook too quickly on the outside and be raw inside. If the fat is too cool, they will absorb too much of the fat. 

DON'T try to fry too many at once or you risk cooling down your oil.

TURN DOUGHNUTS only once during the frying process. When ready they will rise to the top and the underside will be golden brown. It should only take 1 to 2 minutes of cook time per side.

 

These are really delicious doughnuts.  The potatoes give them a lovely dense moist crumb.  I made half plain and half I dredged in sugar.  I enjoyed a plain one fresh with a glass of ice cold milk.  Oh but it was some good.  

Mom always used to heat store bought cake doughnuts in a paper bag in a low oven.  I remember those doughnuts with great fondness. Nothing on earth has ever quite come up to the memory taste of those paper bag reheated doughnuts! 

Some other really tasty fried doughnut recipes on here that you might also enjoy are:

GRANDMA'S DOUGHNUTS - These are fabulous doughnuts.  With a tender crumb and flavored with freshly grated nutmeg. I remember them being so fat that the hole in the middle was always almost swollen shut, just like a big fat belly button.  One of these was always a real treat!

OLD FASHIONED SOUR CREAM DOUGHNUTS - One way which sour cream doughnuts differ from other cake doughnuts is, first of all the tang. Secondly and most importantly they have a quality which lends themselves to splitting slightly when they hit the hot oil . . .  creating cracks, nooks and crannies that are perfect for hanging onto their sweet sugar glaze.  These are quite simply wonderful!

CANADIAN DUTCHIES - A square, yeast raised, sugar glazed doughnut, studded throughout with plenty of sticky sweet sultana raisins. These used to be available at Tim Hortons here in Canada, but they stopped making them a number of years ago. No worries because you can easily make your own at home. These are incredibly delicious!

Author: Marie Rayner

Potato Doughnuts

Prep time: 1 H & 15 MCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

This is a small batch recipe and makes 6 tasty potato doughnuts. These are non-yeasted cake type doughnuts. My favorite kind! These are delicious! The full recipe is from the old Five Roses Cookbook.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup (182g) plain all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBS white vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
• 1/2 cup (70g) mashed potatoes (see notes)
• 1/2 large free range egg, beaten
• 3 fluid ounces (85ml) whole milk
• vegetable oil for frying (It should be at least 2 inches in depth in your skillet)

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
2. Cream together the shortening and 1/2 of the sugar. Stir in the mashed potatoes to combine.
3. Beat and half your egg. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar and then combine this mixture with the potato mixture.
4. Add the dry ingredients, alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Combine well. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
5. Press or roll the dough out on a lightly floured board to 1/2" inch thickness. Cut into doughnuts using a floured doughnut cutter.
6. Heat your vegetable oil in a deep skillet to 375*F/190*C.
7. Fry the doughnuts a few at a time until golden brown on one side. Carefully flip over and fry on the other side. This will take 1 to 2 minutes per side.
8. Drain on some paper towels and then dredge in granulated or icing sugar if desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. These also freeze very well.

Notes

If chilled left-over mashed potatoes are used, it is not necessary to chill the dough before rolling. You may also add 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg if you desire. (I did.)

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