Kid-Friendly Potato Rings: Crispy Outside, Chewy Inside!
A Fun Cooking Activity with Kids: Delicious and Chewy Potato Rings Recipe
Love potato snacks and have a surplus of potatoes at home? This recipe for potato rings is perfect for making a generous batch to enjoy! It’s a fantastic way to use up potatoes, and kids will have a blast creating their own shapes. These rings are wonderfully crispy on the outside and delightfully chewy on the inside.
Ingredients- 7-8 medium potatoes
- 3 strips of bacon
- 1 cup potato starch (or cornstarch)
- 1 large egg
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, peel the potatoes thoroughly. To speed up cooking and ensure they cook through, cut each potato into about 4 pieces. Place the cut potatoes in a pot, add enough water to cover them completely, and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Boil the potatoes until they are tender. You can check if they are done by piercing them with a fork or chopstick; it should go in easily.
Step 2
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them well. It’s best to mash them while they are still warm, as this will result in a smoother texture. Use a fork or a potato masher to mash the potatoes until they are smooth and lump-free.
Step 3
Now, let’s add some flavor! For a touch of sweetness, stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar, according to your preference. (You might want to add a pinch of salt later, so for now, add about 0.3 tablespoons of salt.)
Step 4
Prepare the bacon for added flavor. Finely mince the bacon strips into small, bite-sized pieces.
Step 5
Add the finely minced bacon to the mashed potatoes and mix everything together thoroughly. The savory bacon bits will complement the creamy mashed potatoes beautifully.
Step 6
It’s time to form the potato dough! To the bowl with the mashed potatoes and bacon mixture, add about 1 cup of potato starch. You may need to adjust the amount of starch slightly depending on the moisture content of your potatoes.
Step 7
Crack 1 egg into the mixture. Knead the dough with your hands until all the ingredients are well combined and the dough becomes smooth and slightly elastic. Thorough kneading is key to achieving a chewy texture.
Step 8
Let’s shape our potato rings into fun donut shapes! Roll out the potato dough to about 1 cm (approximately 0.4 inches) thickness. Use a larger round cookie cutter or glass to cut out circles. Then, use a smaller cutter or bottle cap to cut out the center, creating the donut hole. For an extra touch of fun, use a chopstick to poke little eyes and a mouth into the smaller circles – your kids will love these character rings!
Step 9
Your uniquely shaped potato rings are ready! Since potato dough is softer than regular flour dough, you’ll need a little trick to handle it. Placing a piece of plastic wrap underneath the dough makes it easier to lift and shape. Gently lift the dough with the plastic wrap and place it onto your palm to further shape it.
Step 10
While the kids are busy crafting their shapes, let’s fry these delicious potato rings to a golden brown! In a deep pan or wok, pour enough oil to submerge the potato rings. Heat the oil to medium-high temperature. Carefully place the potato rings into the hot oil and fry them until they are golden brown and crispy on both sides. Your potato rings are ready!
Step 11
Freshly fried potato rings look wonderfully golden and appetizing. They’re the perfect snack – crispy on the outside and wonderfully chewy on the inside.
Step 12
After such an enjoyable time making and frying potato rings with the kids, it was already quite late. To round off our meal, I quickly made some simple rice balls to go with them. It was a satisfying and fun meal! Enjoy your cooking time with your children!
