Recipe for making "Potatoes" with the addition of breadcrumbs
A beloved childhood delicacy, like many great things, owes its origin to a coincidence and a woman's cunning. Finnish poet Johan Runeberg unexpectedly received a visit from nobles, but had no food to offer them. Then, displaying remarkable ingenuity, the poet's wife used the ingredients at hand and made a potato cake from crackers, cookies, liqueur, sour cream and jam.
After chopping and mixing all the ingredients, Ms. Runeberg formed potato-shaped cakes from the soft mixture and served them to her guests. The cakes were so popular that the recipe spread like wildfire. Since then, it's rare for a pastry shop to not offer potato cakes in their assortment. The secret to their success is that, unlike meringues and éclairs, potato cakes are quick, easy, and simple to prepare.
Since the 19th century, the recipe has undergone numerous changes and refinements. There's a whole spectrum of recipes: from complex, restaurant-style creations requiring lengthy preparation and a wealth of expensive ingredients, to simple, homemade versions accessible to any sweet tooth. Homemade biscuits, oatmeal, bran, and crackers are used as the base. Eggs, rum, liqueurs, fresh and dried fruit, and nuts are added. Each chef brings their own unique twist to the recipe.
Potatoes with breadcrumbs
But the most popular, and most importantly, the one that brings back that "very special" taste straight from childhood, is the potato bread recipe. To prepare it, you'll need a bag of sweet, unraisined breadcrumbs—you can buy them at the store, or you can make your own homemade breadcrumbs—250 grams each of sugar and milk, 150 grams of butter, a couple of tablespoons of cognac, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder.
First, you need to crush the breadcrumbs. This is difficult to do by hand, so it's best to use a meat grinder or blender. Let the crumbs air out while you bring the milk to a boil, adding 2/3 of the sugar. Mix the remaining sugar with cocoa powder and pour it into the boiling milk.
For a more chocolaty, bitter-tasting cake, add cocoa until the milk turns a rich brown color. For a more delicate flavor, you can replace some of the cocoa with finely grated milk chocolate. Remove the mixture from the heat, add butter, cut into small cubes for better melting, and mix thoroughly, breaking up any lumps.
While still hot, pour the mixture into the breadcrumbs. If this is an adult-only treat, add a couple of tablespoons of cognac. Mix thoroughly and let the mixture soak in. Form the cooled mixture into potato-shaped cakes, place them on a plate, and refrigerate to set.
Before serving, dust with powdered sugar or decorate with buttercream for classic leaves. This recipe is so simple that it takes no more than an hour to prepare. This potato cake, besides being a delicious treat, will lift your spirits and energize you for the entire day.
