Potato Candy Pinwheel

Instructions

Peel the potato and cut it into slices ¾ inch thick. Cover the slices with water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a medium-low simmer until the pieces break apart easily with a fork.

Drain the pan and set it back over low heat, shaking it gently for about a minute to drive off excess moisture. Tip the potato into a ceramic or glass bowl, mash until completely smooth, and let it sit uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes until it reaches room temperature.

Stir in about a cup of powdered sugar until the mixture turns liquid, along with any optional butter, cinnamon or nutmeg. Keep adding sugar gradually until the mixture clumps into a dough that is still slightly sticky. The amount of sugar needed depends on how moist the potato is and how humid the room is.

Turn the dough onto a surface dusted with powdered sugar and knead, adding more sugar to the table and your hands as needed, until it stops sticking. If cracks appear, the dough is too dry, so return it to the bowl and work in a tablespoon of mashed potato or a couple of teaspoons of cream, milk or water.

Roll the dough with a sugar-dusted rolling pin into a rough rectangle ¼ inch thick, either on a board or between two sheets of dusted wax paper. Slide it into the fridge to chill while you make the filling.

For a simple filling, use peanut butter or hazelnut spread as it is. For a creamier one, mix the nut spread with cream cheese at about 2 parts spread to 1 part cream cheese, and sweeten with maple syrup and vanilla extract if you like.

Spread the filling over the chilled dough all the way to the corners. Starting from a longer side, roll the dough up tightly into a log, then trim the ends to show the swirl.

Slice the log into ½ inch rounds. Stored covered in the fridge, the candies turn denser and moister, though a roll made with enough sugar will also hold at room temperature.