Zeppole potato: the recipe (fried and cooked) for soft Carnival treats

THE zeppold potatoes they are gods treaty fried typical of Carnival which are prepared with the same dough made from boiled potatoes Neapolitan staples, from which they are however distinguished by the characteristic formed a “she” which looks like a bow and is done simply by intertwining the two ends of a cord of dough. Very soft and fragrant, the traditional Neapolitan potato zeppoles, those prepared by grandmothers and which taste like childhood, are fried in hot oil and covered while still hot with caster sugar. However, they are also excellent in the version cookedlighter but just as delicious: in this case you just need to add a little more sugar to the dough.

The manufacturing procedure is very simple: the dough made from boiled and mashed potatoes, butter, flour, eggs, sugar and brewer’s yeast, flavored with grated lemon zest and a drop of limoncello , can in fact be prepared by hand or with the planetary mixer, resulting soft and elastic in both cases. Besides the presence of boiled potatoes in the dough, the secret of the incredible softness of the zeppole potato lies in the double liftthe first immediately after having obtained a homogeneous bread and the second after having modeled the sausages of dough.

Fried or baked, potato zeppoles are irresistible treats, perfect for cooking snack of children, to add to the chatter and the castagnole for a buffet of Carnival sweets or to taste on the occasion of Fathers Day as an alternative to the classic San Giuseppe donuts.

Find out how to prepare them by following the procedure and advice step by step: with our easy recipe they will be soft even the next day.

If you liked this recipe, also try the sardine zeppole or the fried brothers.

How to prepare potato wedges

Start making the potato zeppole by boiling the potatoes in plenty of boiling water. Then puree them using a potato masher. 1.

Then add the sifted flour, the softened butter cut into pieces, the brewer’s yeast dissolved in the lukewarm milk and work the ingredients roughly. Then add two tablespoons of sugar, flavor with grated lemon zest and limoncello, and finish with the yolk and whole egg 2.

Start to work everything with your hands, then, as soon as the ingredients are mixed, add a pinch of salt and continue until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous paste. 3. Place it in a bowl, cover it with a cotton cloth and let it rise at room temperature for about 3 hours.

After the first sourdough, the dough should have doubled in volume 4: Gently turn it over on a lightly floured work surface and knead it for a few minutes.

At this point, with a sharp knife or a tarot, cut a few pieces of dough and form many strings about 15 cm long and 1 cm thick 5.

Overlap the two ends, giving the characteristic arch shape 6and lightly press the seal to make them adhere.

Then arrange the zeppole on rectangles of parchment paper 7 and let them rise for another half hour. A few minutes from the end of the second rise, heat the oil in a skillet with high edges. You can ensure that it is at the right temperature by dipping a small piece of dough in it: if it sinks to the bottom, the oil is too cold, if it colors immediately, it is too hot; it is at the right temperature if the piece browns slowly and small bubbles form around it. Then dip the donuts with the parchment paper, it will come off almost immediately on its own.

After about 60 seconds, turn them over with a slotted spoon and continue cooking on the other side, frying them for 2 minutes each. Then drain them on a sheet of absorbent paper. 8.

Pass them still hot in caster sugar 9, which in this way will adhere perfectly. Pay attention to the texture of the sugar: if you notice it starting to get gritty and greasy, substitute it with something else.

The potato zeppoles are ready: arrange them on a serving platter ten and serve.

How to prepare potato wedges in the oven

The procedure for preparing baked potato zeppole is the same as just illustrated, with the only difference that the amount of sugar should be doubled from two to four tablespoons. You can then bake them in the oven at 180°C for about 20 minutes, and, once ready, sprinkle them with a generous layer of icing sugar.

Advice

If you wish, you can replace the lemon zest with orange zest or vanilla seeds or extract and, in a child-friendly version, omit the liqueur.

You can also use the dry brewer’s yeast instead of fresh: in this case you will need about 7 gr.

storage

To taste them in all their goodness, we suggest that you consume the zeppole potato very hot and immediately. Alternatively, you can store them at room temperature, tightly sealed inside a food bag, to A day maximum: in this way they will remain soft and it will suffice to put them in the oven for a few minutes so that they are fragrant as if they had just been made.

The baked potato zeppole, on the other hand, can be kept for 2 to 3 days tightly closed in a food bag.