My husband used to look forward to seeing his Aunt Kathy’s because he knew she made his favorite old-fashioned potato donuts. These are delicious and light. The ideal way to enjoy them is hot, fresh, and with a cup of hot cocoa, coffee, or tea. You have the option of leaving them simple, dusted with cinnamon, white sugar, and powdered sugar, or drizzled with glaze.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 20 mins |
| Servings: | 20 |
| Yield: | 20 donuts |
Ingredients
- 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup white sugar
- 4 tablespoons shortening
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup instant mashed potatoes
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Beat sugar and shortening together in a bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla extract; stir well. Stir in mashed potatoes. Add flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir using a sturdy spoon, as mixture will be thick. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour so that dough will be less sticky and easier to work with.
- Lightly flour a countertop and place plastic wrap on top of dough; roll out to desired thickness. Cut into strips or use a donut cutter to make traditional round donuts.
- Lower donuts carefully into the hot oil in batches. Fry until 1 side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and continue frying until other side is golden, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining donuts.
- Transfer donuts to a wire rack to cool.
- For lack of a donut cutter, I use a lid off of a Mason(R) jar and use a baby bottle to “cut” out the middle.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. Amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 1060 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 32 g |
| Cholesterol | 20 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17 g |
| Sodium | 258 mg |
| Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 104 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Haven’t made it yet. But I think the negative reviews are because of the instant poatoes: Is it instant potato flakes? Or instant potatoes mixed up already?
The recipe wasn’t clear and I made this with regular mashed potatoes. They were too sticky. I think I should have used potato flakes without making them into wet potatoes.