MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Artificial Potatoes
Categories: Side
Yield: 1 Batch

MMMMM--------------------ARTIFICIAL POTATOES-------------------------
1/2 c Ground almonds; heaping
2 Naples biscuits; grated or
-pulsed in a food processor
-into crumbs *
3/4 c Flour
1/2 c Butter; softened
4 tb Sugar
1/2 ts Orange flower water;
-(optional)
1 Egg
1 Egg white
Oil; for frying **

MMMMM----------------------NAPLES BISCUITS---------------------------
4 Eggs
1 tb Rosewater
1 c Sugar; +2 tb
1 1/2 c Flour

Artificial Potatoes:

Combine dry ingredients (almonds, biscuit crumbs, flour) and set
aside. Cream the butter and sugar, then add the orange flower water,
egg, and egg white and mix until well-combined. Dough should hold
together and be soft but not too sticky.

Shape dough in one of two ways:

Cut or pinch off about 1 tb of dough and roll it in your hands until
fairly round. Repeat. (I also flattened these round balls slightly
for one round of frying; they cooked through somewhat better.)

Chill dough for 10 minutes to let it firm up a bit, then roll it out
on a floured board to about 1/4" thick; punch out rounds with a
cookie cutter. Smaller rounds (1-1/2 to 2") are best.

Line a plate with paper towels. Heat 2 tb oil (see ** Note) in a
skillet at medium-high heat and fry the Potatoes in batches, giving
them a few minutes on each side, until golden-brown. As the Potatoes
are done, place them on the lined plate to absorb excess oil. I
didn't think they needed the flourish of extra melted butter on the
side, but then again, melted butter never hurt anything.

* Note on pulverizing the biscuits: I grated mine on a box grater, but
since the edges are quite hard, the process was pretty messy and I
ended up with uneven crumb size (powdery from the edges, larger from
the softer centers). I'd use a food processor next time.

** Note on frying: The original recipe calls to fry the Potatoes in
lard, but I don't exactly keep lard on hand. I fried the first batch
in butter, which gave them a lovely browned-butter taste ... until,
of course, the butter solids started burning. I switched over to oil
and had more success. So, fry in your preferred fat.

Naples Biscuits:

Beat eggs and rosewater (by hand or with a mixer) until frothy; add
sugar and flour and beat thoroughly, until lighter in color and very
well blended. If dough seems too heavy or dry, add 1 ts cold water at
a time. (My batter held together nicely at this point, similar to a
pound cake batter. Since another Naples biscuit recipe I looked at
didn't call for the addition of cold water to thin the batter, I left
it out. I might try it next time to see if the water produces a
slightly lighter biscuit, but these turned out just fine.)

Bake in greased madeleine pans, filled with 2 tbsp. batter each, for
14 minutes at 350°F. They should be firm to the touch, lightly
browned around the edges and on the scalloped bottoms, but the tops
won't have much color. Turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Makes 20 madeleines. (Mini-muffin tins would also work.)

These Naples biscuits aren't showstoppers, and they don't clamor to be
eaten by themselves, though I nibbled on one while making the
Artificial Potatoes. They're dense, dry, and nicely rosewater-y, and
that's about it. I understand why they were used more often as
ingredient than eaten as a stand-alone treat.

Recipe by Marissa Nicosia

Recipe FROM: <https://rarecooking.com/2015/02/18/artificial-potatoes/>

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