Potato Jelly Doughnuts (Potato Sufganiyot)

Ingredients:

●    3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
●    ¾ cup cane sugar
●    2 large eggs, room temperature
●    ½ cup whole milk
●    ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
●    1 cup mashed or riced potato (no milk or butter - about 3 medium Idaho Burbank Russet Potatoes)
●    2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus extra for kneading
●    1 teaspoon baking powder
●    1 teaspoon baking soda
●    ½ teaspoon salt
●    1 cup smooth strawberry jelly
●    vegetable oil for frying
●    confectioners sugar to finish

Directions:

1. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until well incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the milk and vanilla extract.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and then mix in the mashed potato.
2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in the flour on a low speed in two parts.  The dough will be very wet and have a biscuit like texture.  
3. Scrape the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead about a ½ cup additional flour into the dough until it is no longer sticks to your hands or your work surface. Pat the dough out into a circle that’s about ½ inch in thickness and cut out the doughnuts with a 2 inch round cookie cutter or a smaller 1-inch cutter for doughnut holes and shape into rounds with your hands.  Transfer the doughnuts to a parchment lined baking sheet to rest while you heat the oil.
4. Fill a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot with at least 3 inches of oil that’s fitted with a thermometer and heat the oil to 365 ° F. When the oil is to temperature gently lower one doughnut at a time into the oil and fry 2 -3 minutes per side depending on the size of the doughnut.  Fry about 2-3 doughnuts per time in order to prevent the temperature from lowering too much.
5. The finished doughnut will be very dark brown, almost like a baked potato. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack with paper towels underneath.  Let the oil come back to temperature before proceeding with the remaining doughnuts.
6. Once cool enough to handle fill a pastry bag fitted with a ¼ inch tip with the jelly and fill the doughnuts. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
7. Doughnuts are best served the same day they are made.