The fasnacht is a potato donut, part of the Pennsylvania Dutch culture, an annual treat for Fat Tuesday (Day before Ash Wednesday each year.)
I’ve made these for almost 40 years and given them away to whoever wants to try one.
3 medium potatoes
1 cup milk
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages of dry yeast
1 cup potato water reserve
2 eggs
about 9 cups flour
1/3 cup lard
Peal and cook quartered potatoes until tender. Smash the potatoes. Save one cup of potato water. (save the potatoes too!)
Scald milk, let cool, then add sugar, salt, eggs, yeast (already dissolved in warm water and a little sugar,) mashed potatoes, and lukewarm potato water.
Add half the flour, mix, then lard, then rest of flour. Kneed till thoroughly mixed.
Cover and set aside overnight, in warm (70 degrees) draft-free place.
Next morning, beat down dough. Tear in quarters. Roll out each quarter, till dough is 1/3 inch thick. With a pizza cutter, cut in 2″ by 3″ rectangles. Poke hole in the middle of each donut. Place on well floured table. Let rise double. Then fry in pound or two of lard, 375 degrees. Flip donuts half way through to brown evenly. Drain. Toss in granulated sugar. Serve hot if possible. But they are good all day.
Repertoire 