Rum (& Potato!) Truffles

Given the addiction my husband and I have to chocolate, it may not be a surprise that we needed to find a way to feed our habit while on holiday. One ubiquitous product in both Danish and Greenlandic bakeries was the rum truffle.

They had a slightly different texture to the ganache- or cake-based truffles I've made before, which was a mystery until someone mentioned that Danish baking often includes potato.

A couple of weeks later, in an English book shop, I was flicking through a book of potato recipes and found a recipe for rum truffles, made from mashed potato. Putting two and two together, I decided to have a go. This is a variant on that recipe.

The bakery versions tended to be huge (in which case this recipe would make about four!) but I usually prefer to have a smaller treat.

 

Rum Truffles
Makes about 16

one medium (4oz/100g) potato
8oz/200g dark chocolate
8oz/200g icing sugar
2tbsp dark rum
sugar sprinkles to decorate

1. Peel and chop the potato, and steam or boil until cooked through.
   
   
2. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate (I have a special chocolate-melting machine, but a small bowl over a pan of boiling water will do fine).
   
   
3. Mash the potato in a mixing bowl, then mix in the melted chocolate. Add the rum, and stir until combined.
   
   
4. Add the icing sugar, a little at a time, and gradually combine into the potato/chocolate mixture. It will still be quite wet at this stage.
   
   
5. Put the bowl in the fridge for half an hour.
   
   
6. When you take it out again, it should have firmed up. Give it a stir to soften it up again.
   
   
7. Roll into small balls using your fingertips (the warmth of your hands will soften the mixture again, to make nice round shapes).
   
   
8. Roll the truffles in sugar sprinkles, and arrange on a plate. Chill in the fridge for a few minutes more before eating.