Mini sweet potato doughnuts, called buñuelos de boniato

Last Thursday before Lent is called in Poland Fat Thursday. Traditionally it is a day dedicated to eating large quantities of sweets, normally forbidden during Lent. Among the most popular served on that day are pączki (doughnuts filled with marmalade) and faworki. So, last Thursday I saw so many pączki on the Internet that, even if I'm not a huge fan of this kind of sweets, my desire to try one of them increased so much by the afternoon that I decided to look for them in La Donutería. Unfortunately, this afternoon they didn't have any filled one left, so I decided on the ring-shaped one. Despite the fact that it was really good, artisanal and made by a former pastry chef of famous patisserie Escribà, Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona and also Eleven Madison Park in New York City, it wasn't the same as Polish doughnut filled with jam:). Totally different, but also delicious, are Spanish buñuelos - savoury or sweet mini donuts, made of flour, milk, eggs and baking powder and then deep-fried in oil. To the sweet ones apples, pumpkin or sweet potatoes are sometimes added. They can also be filled with custard. The savoury ones can contain cod, shrimp, black pudding, cheese or cauliflower, for example.

Ingredients (for about 30 mini doughnuts):

225 g baked or cooked sweet potatoes (weight after peeling)
110 g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
grated zest of 1/2 lemon or orange
50 ml milk
pinch of salt
oil for frying
sugar and cinnamon for dusting

Method:

Sift together baking powder, salt and flour. Beat the egg with sugar, then add the milk and lemon zest. Fold in the dry flour mixture into the wet one. Mush the sweet potato with a fork, then add it to the mixture. Mix well. Heat the oil and using two teaspoons add teaspoonfuls of the mixture to the oil. Fry until nicely brown on all sides (the oil should not be too hot, because this way the outer part of doughnuts may burn quickly and the middle part may remain underdone). Remove from the oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Dust with sugar mixed with cinnamon.

A source of inspiration:  http://www.midulcetentacion.es/2015/01/bunuelos-de-boniato.html

Enjoy !!!