These potato rolls could be the star of their own meal.
Mashed potatoes are a great side dish, but in the case of these rolls, they are the star of the show. Not because you'll taste them but because of the light and crisp texture they give to the rolls. Rather than dense and chewy bread, you end up with a light and airy roll that can be used alongside soups, stews, or hearty gravies or even used as a quick sandwich.
Ingredients:
1 pound russet potatoes (roughly 2-3 good-sized potatoes)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tsp instant yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp stone ground mustard
2 large eggs
Tools: chef's knife, cutting board, a bunch of bowls, fork, saucepan, colander, potato masher, rimmed baking pan, cooking spray, plastic wrap, parchment paper, oven
1. Skin your potatoes and chop them into 1-inch chunks. Shred your cheddar and set it to the side. Chop up your butter into 4 pieces. And last but not least, take one of your eggs, add 1 Tbsp of water and whisk it all together. Set the last one in your fridge for the time being.
2. Take your potatoes and put them into a medium-sized saucepan, and cover them with cold water, plus an extra inch. Bring the pot up to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. At this point, you'll let the potatoes simmer until they're fully cooked, about 10 minutes. At the eight-minute mark, grab a fork and gently press into a potato. If you can cut into it easily, they're done. If not, let them continue cooking.
3. When they are finished cooking, you'll pull the pan off the burner and reserve 5 Tbsp of the potato water. Set that to the side for now. If you have plants or a garden, you might want to save the rest of the water as well, but either way, you'll need to drain the rest of the water from your potatoes. Now toss the potatoes back into the pot, and set them on low. Sit here for a minute, shaking the potatoes every few seconds. You're evaporating all of the water off the surface of the potatoes. When that's FINALLY done, remove your potatoes from the heat.
4. Have you had a rough week? Or maybe just a bad day? Grab your potato masher and go to town. You want to turn this into a very thoroughly mashed set of potatoes. No lumps or bumps left. When you're done, grab your 1 cup measuring cup and a second smaller measuring cup. Use the smaller one to scoop up the potatoes and pack them into the 1 cup. You want a firmly packed 8 oz of potato. done? Can't add anymore without it going over? Good. Set the rest of the potatoes aside. You can eat those while you let the dough rise later.
5. Next up, grab yourself a small bowl, add the measured cup of potatoes to it, and mix in your butter until melted and fully incorporated.
6. In a large bowl, combine your flour, 1/2 a cup of your cheddar cheese, yeast, sugar, mustard, and salt into a bowl. Add the warm potato mixture to this and mix it with your hands until well combined. At this point, some lumps are fine. Take your still whole egg and crack that into the mix. Mix your dough for 8-10 minutes by hand or until your dough is soft and slightly sticky.
7. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased container. Cover the top of the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it to rise. If your kitchen is slightly cool (as ours was the day we made these), no worries. You can set this in front of a toaster oven or on top of your stove. Turn your choice of stove on 350* and let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume. If your kitchen is already warm, it should take only 30-40 minutes; we ended up going for an extra 30 minutes, though, to make sure it had doubled.
8. Once the time has passed, press down on the dough to deflate it. Turn it out onto a clean counter, and stretch it out into a 12-inch log. Cut that into 12 equal pieces and cover them loosely with greased plastic.
9. While you let the dough sit, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Then head back to your dough, and grab one piece of the dough. Keep the others covered with the plastic as you work. You'll form it into roughly a ball shape by stretching it around your thumbs and pinching the edges together. When you do this, the top will be smooth. Place the ball seam side down onto your clean counter, and using your cupped hand, drag it in small circles until the dough feels round and tight. When you're finished with one, place it back under the plastic until all of them are finished.
Tip: If your dough is really sticky, you can lightly dust your fingers with flour.
10. Arrange your rolls on the prepared sheet and cover them loosely with the greased plastic to let them rise again until almost doubled in size, another 30-40 minutes. (Here again, you can utilize the trick with your oven of choice.) While the rolls rise, turn your oven to 425 and move one rack to the upper middle position.
11. Brush the tops of the rolls lightly with the egg wash you made at the beginning, and sprinkle them with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese. Bake the rolls until they're golden brown on top, roughly 14 minutes. (Make sure to keep an eye on them, and turn them halfway through the baking.) When they're finished, transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let them cool for 5 minutes. You can then serve them warm or at room temperature. Store them in a sealed container if any manage to survive.
These were absolutely delicious when we made them, and we hope that you enjoy them just as much. One thing that we did note as we were baking was that the type and amount of mustard could be changed depending on preference. We used stone ground this time, but a spicy brown mustard and adjusting the amount could yield a punchier roll. Let us know your thoughts and ideas in the comments below or over on our Facebook page!
If you're here instead because your stove isn't functioning correctly, you're still in the right place. At Appliance Rescue Service, we want to work with you to get your home running smoothly again. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). Whether you're in Frisco or Allen, we're here for you.