Chef Gary Lambert runs the kitchen at Platte Valley Youth Services Center in Greeley, and is writing a cookbook. “I have searched the Internet for 10 years, looking for a similar recipe. I haven’t found anything remotely like this,” he says. “Think of these as a hot-dog-shaped savory doughnut.” Makes about 18.
Ingredients
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups shredded Asiago cheese
1 ounce yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (98 degrees)
4 cups (1 pound) bread flour
Canola oil for frying
Directions
Boil potatoes in salted water until soft. Place the cooked potatoes in a mixer with a dough hook, and stir on low. Add butter, kosher salt and cheese and mix until the mixture cools to below 100 degrees (warm but not hot to the touch).
Combine yeast and sugar in the warm water.
While yeast is beginning to foam, begin to add flour to the potato mixture, to form a sticky dough. Keep adding flour until you achieve a smooth elastic dough.
Cover and allow dough to rise until double in size, approximately 1 hour. Punch the dough down, cut into pieces the size of hot-dog buns, and allow to rise again for 30 minutes.
Prepare a frying pan or electric skillet with oil, enough to deep fry. Heat on medium-high or set to 350 degrees. Deep fry each bun until done, 3-4 minutes. Make sure to brown both sides of the roll. Place on a rack to cool, then cover. Serve with fresh tomato pesto or roasted and peeled red peppers or green chiles sauteed with garlic.
