It's getting close to St. Patrick's Day and a special treat we enjoyed as children, during the month of March, was Irish Potatoes. It's not what you think it is.
Irish Potatoes is a confection -- a candy.
Daddy would go into Philadelphia and get a box of these tasty morsels and he would carefully horde them and we children were permitted a tiny bit each day. He would take one "potato" and carefully cut it into four pieces (each piece ending up about the size of a pea) and we would be able to savor that tidbit as long as sucking on it lasted. It was not a "sucking" candy, actually, it was a chewing candy, but if it was chewed and swallowed, then it was gone; whereas, if we sucked on it, it lasted a tad longer.
After years of not enjoying this treat, I found a candy store in Cincinnati that sold them, and I bought them by the dozens and I only had a one-week window of opportunity, because in Cincinnati that was the only time these candies were sold -- the Week of St. Patrick's Day.
After a couple of years the candy store went out of business and once again I was without one of my favorite candies.
Finally, with the advent of the WWW I was able to find a recipe (below). Yesterday, however, I found a source that will mail them out (by the pound) so I ordered a pound. Note: shipping costs as much almost as a pound of the candy. You can order them online at: http://www.pageneralstore.com/ -- Search for Irish Potatoes. During the month of March they are on the home page.
Now for the recipe. NOTE: The potatoes MUST be refrigerated, and will last about two weeks in the refrigerator. One month if frozen, but I don't recommend freezing them.
Ingredients:
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened (do not substitute margarine or any other spread)
4 ounces cream cheese softened (get a good brand like Philadelphia)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 box (16 ounces) powdered sugar
1 bag (7 oz -- about 2-1/2 cups) flaked coconut
Cinnamon (ground)
Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla. (I keep the beater going while I add the rest of the ingredients). Add in the sugar (slowly or you'll end up wearing it). Add in the coconut.
After all is mixed together, make the "batter" into small walnut-sized balls. Roll the balls in cinnamon. Refrigerate. AND ENJOY.
There are other recipes on Cooks.com for the potatoes, but these are closest in taste to what we ate when I was a child.
Irish Potatoes is a confection -- a candy.
Daddy would go into Philadelphia and get a box of these tasty morsels and he would carefully horde them and we children were permitted a tiny bit each day. He would take one "potato" and carefully cut it into four pieces (each piece ending up about the size of a pea) and we would be able to savor that tidbit as long as sucking on it lasted. It was not a "sucking" candy, actually, it was a chewing candy, but if it was chewed and swallowed, then it was gone; whereas, if we sucked on it, it lasted a tad longer.
After years of not enjoying this treat, I found a candy store in Cincinnati that sold them, and I bought them by the dozens and I only had a one-week window of opportunity, because in Cincinnati that was the only time these candies were sold -- the Week of St. Patrick's Day.
After a couple of years the candy store went out of business and once again I was without one of my favorite candies.
Finally, with the advent of the WWW I was able to find a recipe (below). Yesterday, however, I found a source that will mail them out (by the pound) so I ordered a pound. Note: shipping costs as much almost as a pound of the candy. You can order them online at: http://www.pageneralstore.com/ -- Search for Irish Potatoes. During the month of March they are on the home page.
Now for the recipe. NOTE: The potatoes MUST be refrigerated, and will last about two weeks in the refrigerator. One month if frozen, but I don't recommend freezing them.
Ingredients:
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened (do not substitute margarine or any other spread)
4 ounces cream cheese softened (get a good brand like Philadelphia)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 box (16 ounces) powdered sugar
1 bag (7 oz -- about 2-1/2 cups) flaked coconut
Cinnamon (ground)
Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla. (I keep the beater going while I add the rest of the ingredients). Add in the sugar (slowly or you'll end up wearing it). Add in the coconut.
After all is mixed together, make the "batter" into small walnut-sized balls. Roll the balls in cinnamon. Refrigerate. AND ENJOY.
There are other recipes on Cooks.com for the potatoes, but these are closest in taste to what we ate when I was a child.
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