Former Walp's Restaurant & PA Dutch Recipe Fastnacht Doughnuts

The following recipe comes from the Walp's Family Restaurant Commemorative Cookbook: 

Fastnacht Doughnuts

A Shrove Tuesday Tradition

Cook 3 pounds peeled potatoes for each large batch of Sweet Dough.  Mash the cooked potatoes and add to Sweet Dough recipe.  Use the potato water instead of tap water for water in the Sweet Dough recipe. DO NOT USE INSTANT POTATOES.  Follow Sweet Dough recipe and doughnut making instructions.

*Obviously this recipe is for a restaurant or perhaps a church that sells them as a fund raiser. My church St. John's Evangelical Lutheran in Hamburg sell them.

PA Dutch Cookbook Recipe

2 cups scaled milk

 ½ cup lard
1 cup mashed potatoes 2 teaspoons salt
¾ cup sugar 2 well beaten eggs
1 package yeast
7 cups flour, approximately

Scald milk and add mashed potatoes, sugar, salt, and lard. Cool until lukewarm. Add eggs. Add yeast and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead well and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a cloth and let rise about 1½ hours. Roll ¼ inch thick on a
floured board. Place on a cloth and let rise until doubled in size and fry in hot fat.

Shrove Tuesday Tradition
Update: February 12, 2013 Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is the preceding day to Ash Wednesday and the tradition of eating fatty sweet foods on Shrove Tuesday is a sort of last fling with consuming foods that are to be sacrificed during the Lenten Season, February 22 through April 5, 2012(Holy Thurs.).   Lent is a special time of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparation of the celebration of Easter.