spud nuts

If you haven't tried homemade potato donuts (aka spud nuts), you really have to try them. After talking with a friend last week about how much we like donuts, we decided that making some donuts and playing games would be a great fall activity.

I pulled out the family spud nut recipe last night and decided to half it, since there were only going to be a few of us. This turned out to be a good decision, since a half of the recipe made over 3 dozen donuts.

Spud Nuts

5 ¼ T yeast
¾ c warm water
1 ½ T sugar
3 c milk
3 t salt
¾ c sugar
3 eggs
½ c oil
1 ½ c mashed potatoes
9 c flour
oil to fry

Dissolve yeast in water and sugar. Add wet ingredients and stir. Beat in half of flour. Add flour until soft dough consistency. Let rise until double. Roll out and cut into shapes (rectangles, square, circles). Spray baking sheets or kitchen table to non-stick cooking spray and then place donuts on surface to rise 15-20 minutes. Fry in medium-hot oil until brown on both sides (2-4 minutes). Let cool slightly on paper towels and then top with sugar or glazes (maple is always the favorite, trust me).

Tips:
1. Letting the dough rise for a full hour or until double is key. Letting the cut donuts rise for 20 minutes before frying is even more key. If you dough is not rising, then your donuts will be doughy and hard, instead of really puffy and soft.

2. Fry a few donut holes first to make sure the oil is hot enough. If the oil is hot enough, it will bubble around the dough right away. The donuts should take no more than 2-3 minutes per side to get nicely browned. The donuts should puff of a lot as they cook, which will make them nice and soft inside.

3. The best glaze is maple glaze. To make this, put 1/2 t of maple flavoring, 2-3 T of milk, and enough powdered sugar to make a nice glaze that you can dip the hot donut into. If you are doubting how maple could be better than chocolate, just trust me.

4. These donuts are best hot and shared with friends. A whole recipe will make around 6-7 dozen donuts, so be sure to invite enough friends over and make lots of glaze.