Spud Nuts

4 cups luke warm water
1 cup sugar
1 cup melted shortning (crisco)
2 tsp salt
2 cups warm mashed patatoes (potatoes flakes work just fine)
2 Fleishman's yeist cakes (I think that's just 2 Tbsp of yeast or 2 little packets)
4 beaten eggs
about 14 cups flour or a little more

Glaze:
6 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup hot tap water
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine yeast and water. Then add the rest of ingredients and flour (flour a little at a time) and mix well. Use enough flour until the dough is not sticky, but not too stiff. Knead well. Let rise until double or a little more. Mix down well, divide dough into 4 parts and roll out each part about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick on a floured surface. Cut with doughnut cutter and place each doughnut on a floured cloth on the table and stretch so the hole won't close up when raising. Don't place them too close together so they won't stick to each other when they raise. Let raise about 1/2 hour. Put hole and all of the scraps together and mix well again roll and cut.

Fry in deep, hot lard until lightly browned, turning. It's a good idea to put the doughnuts on some absorbant paper (we have used brown paper sacks from the food store or brown paper lunch bags) to drain and cool a few minutes before we glazed them.

Mix powdered sugar and hot water. Stir, adding a little water at a time to make a thin glaze but not too thin. Mix in a large bowl. Add about 1 tsp. vanilla. Put doughnuts one at a time in glaze and place on a wooden spoon handle or something similar. After you get about 6 on the handle let drain. Stack partially dried doughnuts on absorbant paper about 4 or 5 high and let dry 1 to 2 hours.

Storage:

Place 12 in a brown paper bag, seel the bag. You can heat them up in the microwave for later or freeze them in the brown paper bag and eat later. Do not store in a plastic bag (they will go soggy).

Of course, you can do whatever glaze or topping you prefer, this was just the recipe I was given. This recipe makes approximately 10 dozen. The recipe comes from Brooke's Mom's side of the family and used to be a general conference tradition. They would make doughnuts while the guys went to the priesthood session. They really are good. I did change some of the wording to make it a little more easy to follow.