Baked Spudnuts with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces Idaho® Potatoes (about 1 large potato)
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• cooking spray
• 1/4 milk
• 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
• chopped almonds, optional

Directions:

1. Peel the potato with a vegetable peeler. Chop the potato into 1-inch chunks. Place the potato chunks into a medium saucepan and add 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and let it cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and let them cool for 5 minutes.
2. Mash the potatoes with a fork or a potato ricer. Make sure that no potato chunks remain. Scoop out 1 cup of mashed potatoes and set that aside. Eat or store any extra mashed potatoes.
3. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Position an oven rack in the center position.
4. In a large bowl, mix together the whole wheat pastry flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
5. In a medium bowl, mix the cup of mashed potatoes, oil, yogurt, vanilla and eggs until well incorporated.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir until you no longer see any dry flour streaks.
7. Grease a 6 or 12-count donut pan with cooking spray or oil.
8. Spoon or pipe the donut batter into the donut pan. Fill it about 3/4 of the way up. Bake the donuts for 16 to 18 minutes. The donuts will be a little cracked on top. Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. If you are using a 6-count donut pan, prepare and bake the next batch.
9. Once the donuts have cooled for 15 minutes, prepare the chocolate ganache. In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat ¼ cup of milk on high for 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate chips into the hot milk until smooth. If you find that the chips are not melting, stick the bowl into the microwave for 10 seconds and then stir again. If the ganache is looking a bit runny, add another tablespoon or two of chocolate chips. Dip each donut into the chocolate ganache. Sprinkle with shredded coconut or chopped almonds, if you like. Let the ganache set for 30 minutes before serving.