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From: [log in to unmask] (Ken Kemski)
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
Date: 17 Nov 1995 00:22:09 GMT
 
I have a rather interesting recipe that was gleaned from an aunt of
mine many years ago . . .  She called them "Goofballs," and they are as
different from any potato you've eaten as fries are different from
mashed which are different from potato pancakes . . .  Unique . . .
 
Grate up several potatoes on the finest grater you can obtain (my hand
grater has small 1/8" or so "stars" that produce a stringless mush).
Potatoes that are starchy with a good water content work best.  Take a
handful of the grated potato and place into a towel, and proceed to
squeeze out the water until you have a paste, capable of being rolled
into small (3/4" or so) balls.
 
The amount of water you remove is *critical*.  If you remove too much,
the resultant balls will have a hard, dry center.  It you do not remove
enough water, the balls will dissolve during the boiling phase.  My
aunt used to think these balls could be made only at certain times of
year, with certain potatoes, but I've determined the water squeeze to
be the most important factor.
 
Dice up and fry several onions in a little oil.  When they are
translucent and starting to brown, set them aside.
 
Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil, and add your first batch
of squeezed & rolled balls.  When they float, they are done, remove
them and set aside.  If they did not dissolve, cut one open and look
for the white center, indicating you squeezed too hard.  Use this first
test to determine how much you will squeeze the remaining batches. (If
they dissolved, you did not squeeze them enough).
 
When you have squeezed, rolled, and boiled all the goofballs, take some
of the starchy water you created and dump in the diced & fried onions.
Cook it down a bit, and replace the cooked balls in this liquid for
serving.  They should be served with this starchy onion "gravy" spooned
over them.
 
The texture is like no other potato I've ever eaten.  Properly done
balls will be near transparent, with a "gooey" feel to them. Some salt
& pepper, and this one should be a prize-winner . . .
 
Enjoy,  tell us about your "Squeezing" experience.
 
Regards,
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ken Kemski
 
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