Maine Potato Doughnuts
This Maine potato doughnuts recipe first ran in 1937, but we’re pleased to say their delicious texture and flavor has stood the test of time.
By Yankee Magazine|Nov 30 2021|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanIn May 1937, two years after Yankee’s founding, we ran a story called “Aroostook’s Hundred Recipes,” which offered a full century of dishes from Pearl Ashby Tibbetts, “the busy wife of a very busy country doctor in Bethel, Maine.” Among them: Puff Balls, Fried Shoestrings, and Maine Chowder. But those Maine potato doughnuts have tempted us across generations and have stood the test of time.
SEE MORE:
How to Make Maine Potato Donuts
Vermont Apple Cider Doughnuts Recipe
Needhams | Maine Potato Candy
Yield:
About 16 doughnutsIngredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup lightly packed mashed russet or Yukon Gold potatoes (see “Additional Notes,” below)
1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Vegetable shortening or vegetable oil for frying (see “Additional Notes,” below)
Cinnamon sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a standing or handheld mixer until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until glossy and pale yellow.
Add the potato and buttermilk and beat until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg and beat just until evenly combined. The dough should now be fairly easy to handle, but still a bit sticky.
Generously dust your counter with flour (the recipe is calibrated so that the dough can absorb this flour without getting dry). Turn the dough out onto the counter and flip to coat with flour.
With your hands, gently press the dough out to a ½-inch thickness and cut into rounds using a doughnut cutter or two biscuit cutters (a large and a small). Gather the scraps and gently press out again as needed to use up all the dough.
Fill a Dutch oven with oil or shortening to a depth of 2½ inches. Set over medium heat and bring the temperature to 375° (check with a thermometer). Working in small batches, cook the doughnuts in the oil, turning once, until puffed and golden brown on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. As you fry, you may need to reduce or increase the heat to maintain a steady temperature. Check it periodically with the thermometer.
Transfer the cooked doughnuts to paper towels to drain. If desired, toss them in cinnamon sugar when they’re cool enough to handle. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I used this recipe, but i used regular milk instead of buttermilk and it worked just fine. Also, i did not add nutmeg, as the store i went to did not have any.
Spudnuts are wonderful! The Spudnut Shoppe in El Dorado, Arkanas, makes great ones! Have never tried to make them. Perhaps I should, since I live hundreds of miles from there.
My donuts turned out very heavy and dense. The potatoes were very dry and i only mixed enough to blend ingredients. Any ideas?
Check your baking powder. Put some in a little water. Fresh bp will foam.
I wonder if it works with boxed potatoes.
I have made spud doughnuts for years .so in answer to you question you can use any type of potatoes. If you use dry hydrate them. Also for a lemon flavored doughnut leave out spice and add lemon extract. Happy donuts to you.
Ps .this recipe needs more milk or butter milk.. This recipe is to dry for the best doughnuts .But potato doughnuts are the king of donuts.
Ate these in high school they were fantastic.
Can you bake these donuts without adjusting the recipe??
Halbach
I have made these for years, learned them from my grandmother. I also with the nutmeg I add cardamom!
I hate nutmeg. Can I use cinnamon instead?
personally i would just omit, should you use cinnamon, I suggest 1/4 tsp,(life long Chef)
Me, too!
This recipe was absolutely wonderful. Not sure at all why it only has a 3.5 star rating. We even made it mostly vegan aside from a pasture raised egg (we’re vEGGan in this house so long as the eggs are pasture raised). We swapped butter with Melt butter, swapped buttermilk with oat milk. We did the microwave mashed potato deal and man oh man they came out flawless. We created our own glaze with butter, sugar, and egg (humanely raised!!!) and tossed on some cinnamon sugar and my goodness they were sensational. Very impressed!
I have reserved my review on these for about 2 years so I could test. I have made them numerous times, adding half a grated apple and about 1/3 cup more flour to absorb the apple juice. Bought donuts do not compare-these are killer!
This was absolutely delicious! We made donut holes instead of full donuts and they were crispy outside and soft inside. This one is a keeper!
Can you bake or use an air fryer?
Do ahead tips ? How far ahead can you make the dough ? Could you make it the night before and then fry in the morning ? Or at the very least, cook the potato and put through the ricer the day before ? TXS !!
I have made these in the evening and then cut them out and fried them the next morning. I had to add a bit more flour before patting out the dough, but other than that they were the same. I have made them both ways and either any they are great.
Can I make a chocolate version of these? If so, how do I go about modifying the recipe? I know I can simply put a chocolate coating on top, but I was hoping to make a chocolate doughnut through and through. Thanks.