How to Turn a Potato into Candy

Potato candy isn't just a tradition in my family, but in the entire area of East Tennessee. Local legend has it that pioneers who settled here in the early 1800s developed it. With little money and a pantry full of ordinary ingredients, they used what they had and the result is an amazing recipe.

I've had this candy in other parts of the country, but it doesn't quite taste the same. The difference is the potato. Other recipes call for ingredients like a flour mixture instead of the potato. If you're baked peanut butter pinwheel candy before using that recipe, try this one and your family will be grateful.

The simplicity of this recipe is what makes it so great. The ingredients? A potato, a jar of your favorite peanut butter and some powdered sugar. The amount of sugar needed seems to vary with the potato. The first time you bake it, have three bags on hand. (If you want to be completely faithful to the pioneer recipe, you can always make your own peanut butter, but that's a different recipe.)

First, as the title implies, you must have a potato. Peel it and cook it. Three generations past, the traditional recipe called for the potato to be peeled and boiled. This method has for the most part been replaced with baking the potatoe and then peeling it. Some cooks even bake the potato in a microwave and then peel. (My grandmother would have gasp at that thought!) After peeling, dry the potato with a paper towel.

Regardless of the way you cook your potato, make sure that it's cooked completely and that it's soft all the way through. Set it aside until the potato cools completely. This usually takes about an hour at room temperature. You can speed it up by putting it in the fridge. Put it in a sealed container so it doesn't pick up any other flavors from your fridge.

Once the potato cools, use your potato masher or just a plain fork to mash it all up in a big plastic or glass mixing bowl. It can't be diced. The potato has to have a mushy consistency. You'll likely have some lumps, but try to get rid of as many as you can.