Recipe: Irish Mashed Potato Rolls

St. Patrick’s Day is here and my Irish menu is all but set. Along with the sweet and spicy Brown Sugar and Dijon Glazed Corned Beef and Cabbage, Red Potatoes and Baby Carrots boiled along with sauerkraut, and a loaf of Irish Soda Bread, I will be making some Irish Mashed Potato Rolls as an additional to the bread basket.

With any yeast bread or roll recipe, it will take a little time to make these moist and slightly dense rolls. They are slightly sweet from honey included in the recipe and benefit from a brushing of melted butter when they come out of the oven. The batch makes 2 dozen rolls; enough to make Reuben sandwiches with any leftover corned beef.

Irish Mashed Potato Rolls will be welcomed at your Celtic dinner. And hopefully they will be a new tradition your family will look forward to each March 17th.

Irish Mashed Potato Rolls

makes about 24 large rolls

1 medium russet potato, peeled and cubed

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

6 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Place potato in a small saucepan and fill with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Allow the cooking liquid to cool to about 105 degrees. Mash potato and set aside.

It is recommended to make this dough in a standing mixer with a dough hook. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm cooking liquid. Add the honey, oil, salt, egg, flour and mashed potato. Beat until smooth. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. It will not form a ball like typically bread recipes. If using a standing mixer, knead on lowest speed until smooth and elastic, about 7-8 minutes. Otherwise knead by hand on a floured work surface for 8 – 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 24 pieces. Shape each into a ball. Place in a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Serve warm.

Amy Casey has had a lifelong love of food. It began at an early age with many hours watching Julia Child on The French Chef and learning to cook from the many fabulous cooks in her family. Her love of food lead her to become a personal chef, and she is the chef/owner of EAT! A Personal Chef Service in northern New Jersey, and also a member of the United States Personal Chef Association. Always wanting to share her love of food, she chronicles her collection of recipes in the blog Dinners for a Year and Beyond.