Mashed potato doughnuts

“These doughnuts, lemme tell ya! This is one of my first attempts at making doughnuts at home and this recipe is the jackpot. I’ve topped these with chocolate and filled them with chocolate mousse, but you can use anything you like!”

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl mix the water, butter, mashed potatoes, milk, vanilla essence and buttermilk.

2. Combine the wet and dry ingredients – I used my hands but you can use a metal spoon – and mix until you have a soft dough. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 40 minutes until almost doubled in size.

3. Punch down the dough and turn out onto a well-floured surface. Gently roll out the dough to a thickness of 2 cm. Cut out rounds using a cookie cutter or a glass tumbler.

4. Place the doughnuts onto a baking sheet, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise again for approximately 15 minutes.

5. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat – if you have a candy thermometer, keep the oil around 165–180°C. Deep-fry the doughnuts in batches for 2 minutes, turning continuously to ensure that they are cooked evenly and all the way through. Drain on kitchen paper and dust with caster sugar.

6. To make the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate. Pour both into a bowl and marble using a skewer. When the doughnuts are completely cool, carefully dip them into the chocolate and lift out. Place on a plate and allow the chocolate to harden.

7. Fill a piping bag with the chocolate mousse and attach a medium-sized nozzle. Make a small incision into the side of each doughnut and fill with the chocolate mousse – it’s okay if things get a bit messy! I recommend enjoying it immediately with a glass of milk.

Find more chocolate recipes here.

Videography: Jan Ras, Romy Wilson
Still photograph: Jan Ras