Nothing evokes comfort, warmth, and mouth-watering hospitality like the dishes prepared by people who actually grow the food. From Susan Herrmann Loomis, author of The French Farmhouse Cookbook, The Italian Farmhouse Cookbook, The Great American Seafood Cookbook, and Clambakes & Fish Fries
The recipe for these rolls is an old one from the Reed family (Idaho potato growers), and it makes enough for a crowd. I worried about taking La Rene's own handwritten copy, but she said, "Don't worry. I know it by heart."
Potato rolls are tender, moist, and slightly sweet. They go well with just about any meal, and they make a wonderful breakfast with fresh butter and honey. You may be tempted to add extra flour because the dough is so soft and moist, but don't. Just add enough so that you can handle the dough without having it stick to your hands and the work surface, then dust it with plenty of flour to roll it out. These are quick to make, and you may find yourself with fresh-baked rolls on the table more often than you ever thought possible.
Makes about 2 dozen
1 large Russet potato, boiled and well mashed (1 cup)
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
Lightly oil two 7x11x1 1/2-inch baking pans.
Place the mashed potato, water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix well with a wire whisk. Add 1 cup of the flour, and whisk until the mixture is quite smooth, about 2 minutes. (There may be some lumps from the potato, which is fine.) Add another 1/2 cup flour, and mix until smooth. Cover with a kitchen towel, set in a warm spot (68 to 70 degrees F), and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Add the eggs to this mixture, one at a time, mixing vigorously after each addition. Add the butter and salt, and mix well. Then gradually add 2 1/2 cups flour, mixing quite vigorously. When the dough becomes too awkward to mix in the bowl, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead it until it is smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. Add flour (no more than an additional cup) as you knead to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface and your hands. It will still be very soft-softer than bread dough.
Heavily flour the dough and the work surface, and roll the dough out until it is 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 2-inch squares and place them in the prepared pans, leaving about inch of space between them. Cover loosely with a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise in a warm spot (68 to 70 degrees) until they have nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake the rolls in the center of the oven until they are golden and puffed, about 12 minutes. Turn them out of the pans onto a wire cooling rack, let cool for 5 minutes, and then serve.
