Introduction: Potato Doughnuts
Everybody is frying these days, the sweet smell of fried goods is intoxicating, and the town smells like Carnival sweets. I knew this year I’d succumb to the large pan of hot oil, to the fast assembly of some kind of fritters, the quick process of frying and the indulgence of eating followed by a week of living in the freezing cold house with the windows wide open and surrounded by alighted scented candles in the attempt to get rid of the smell. In the end I decided for these fritters because they remind me of what is known in Tuscany as “friars” and in America as donuts. I found the recipe on this month’s Sale&Pepe magazine and I was drawn to them because they contained potatoes and they were fast to assemble. You just have to wait for the potatoes to be cooked and they’re almost done! I added a couple of spoonfuls of flour compared to the amount given by the recipe but I believe it’s my fault because I steamed the peeled and chopped potatoes instead of boiling them whole. I didn’t feel like waiting for half an hour for them to cook, so I took a shortcut. The taste and texture of these fritters are fantastic, delicate and soft, the fine lemon scent made them delectable. Andrea found them a bit bland, but he’s more of a rough flavour kind of guy. Nevertheless he ate quite a lot of them, so they were not that bad, were they?
For 8 people:
· 450 g old or white potatoes
· 2 eggs
· 100 g all-purpose flour
· 50 g caster sugar
· 1 organic lemon
· vegetable oil for frying
· icing sugar
· salt
Put the potatoes in a pan of cold water and bring to boil. Cook for 30 minutes then drain, peel and mash. Let cool and add the grated zest of the lemon and a teaspoon of juice. Add then the eggs, flour, caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Take some dough and roll it to a 1.5 cm thickness then cut it at 12 cm. Join the two ends to get a doughnut shape. Heat a pan with some vegetable oil and fry the fritters until they’re golden and cooked through. Turn them once or twice while cooking. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.
For 8 people:
· 450 g old or white potatoes
· 2 eggs
· 100 g all-purpose flour
· 50 g caster sugar
· 1 organic lemon
· vegetable oil for frying
· icing sugar
· salt
Put the potatoes in a pan of cold water and bring to boil. Cook for 30 minutes then drain, peel and mash. Let cool and add the grated zest of the lemon and a teaspoon of juice. Add then the eggs, flour, caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Take some dough and roll it to a 1.5 cm thickness then cut it at 12 cm. Join the two ends to get a doughnut shape. Heat a pan with some vegetable oil and fry the fritters until they’re golden and cooked through. Turn them once or twice while cooking. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.
