Leftover mashed potatoes? Try these puffs

Potato Puffs have pleased the Repp family for decades.

Up until a couple of years ago, Jean Repp, 99, of Spokane Valley, made these rolls for family holiday dinners – primarily Christmas – but also by request.

Along the way, she taught her daughter-in-law, Cammy Repp, of Spokane, how to make them, and Cammy Repp wanted to share the recipe with Spokesman-Review Food section readers.

“Why does the family love potato puffs? They are Grandma wrapped in a delicious roll, enjoyed with family and friends. They are a reflection of her and her heritage over a lifetime,” Repp said.

The trick is to “make them on a day you are home, as they consume time with the different rises,” she said. “The learning curve comes from stiffening the dough with enough flour to not being too sticky when you make the twists.”

A simple powdered sugar frosting works just fine, “but a little added cream cheese never hurt any frosting,” Repp said, noting, “They are also good without frosting.”

Potato Puffs

From Jean Repp via Cammy Repp

1 package dry active yeast

1 cup sugar

2 cups mashed potatoes

2 cups milk, scalded (1 cup potato cooking water combined with 1 cup milk works, too)

1 cup shortening (include butter for color)

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

6 1/2 to 8 cups flour, divided

To start yeast, place it in a small amount of warm water with 1 teaspoon of the sugar.

Combine the yeast mixture with the rest of the ingredients through salt. Add 5 to 5 1/2 cups flour to soft sponge stage. Let rise in a warm place until double, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Stiffen the dough with 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups flour and let rise another 2 hours or until double.

Place dough on floured board. Pull off pieces and form into twists. Place on lightly greased pan. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Frost with your favorite sugar icing.

Yield: Depending on the size you make, you can have as many as four dozen from a batch.

Note: They freeze beautifully, but do not frost them.

Frost when thawed.

Quick Sugar Icing

From thekitchn.com

1 cup powdered sugar

2 to 6 tablespoons milk or other liquid

1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Measure the sugar into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and the extract. Stir until it forms a thick, creamy paste. If desired, thin the frosting into a glaze with additional tablespoons of milk.

Frosting will keep refrigerated in a sealed container for up to a week.

Allow to come to room temperature and stir gently before using.

Yield: about 1 cup of frosting