Irish Potatoes (candy)

I requested my mom's recipe for the potato candy she made for my sibs and I to take to school on St. Patrick's Days of yore. When I say "potato candy," I mean candy shaped like a potato (really cute teeny potatoes). Turns out mom's recipe actually does use some potato which I like because I think it probably cuts some of the sweetness that the sugar-only recipes that I saw online. The cinnamon makes the little lumps look like little dirty potatoes and it keeps them from sticking together. My kid's going to take a box to her classmates tomorrow. I'm more excited than she is.

I copied my mom's email below. She's a librarian so she characteristically references a thematically appropriate book. She's a school librarian so she suggests making it a hands on experience for the kids in the class.

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(recipe from an Adele Davis cookbook)

Peel, quarter, steam, and mash 1 potato.  You will use 1/4 cup of this.
      
- 1/4 C. mashed potato

While still warm, add and stir well:

- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 Tbspn. butter

Sift together and add:

- 1 C powdered sugar
- 1/2 C. powdered milk

Stir well and chill.
After chilling, knead in enough powdered milk and/or powdered sugar to handle well.  [I probably gradually added another 1/2-3/4 C of powdered sugar and 1/2-3/4 C of powdered milk to get the consistency past melty blobs to sturdy lumps that hold their shape.]
Shape as "puny praties" (OK, Adele didn't say that.  Tomie O'Paola did.) 
Roll lightly in cinnamon.
Hope these do the trick. 
You could just take the fondant and let the kids make their own.
Mom

Comments

gwen said…
I saw a package of these in Wegmans last night, in the "imported from the UK" section! (Was going to take a photo but a woman was standing in front of them, seriously considering buying them, and I didn't want to seem like a creeper.)

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