“Doughnuts. Is there anything they can’t do?” Well, that’s what Homer Simpson thinks, anyway. Whether it’s true or not, doughnuts have certainly conquered the world. Almost every country has its own version of a doughnut. France has beignets, Italy has bomboloni, Spain has churros and Germany has berliners. Less well known are Belgian smoutebollen, Russian ponchiki and Israeli sufganiyot.

Not all doughnuts are created equal. In Japan, they can be filled with sweet adzuki bean paste. In Thailand, street hawkers sell deep fried snacks known as Patongkos. In Indonesia, donat kentang are made from flour and mashed potatoes.

Australians are partial to a hot jam doughnut.

For as long as I can remember, doughnuts have punctuated my existence: from early memories of cloyingly sweet pineapple doughnuts at the school tuckshop, through to amazing bomboloni during travels in Italy. As I’ve grown up, my tastes may have changed, but I still enjoy doughnuts. And they’re easy to make.

And the best thing about making your own doughnuts is that you get them while they’re hot.

Italian potato doughnuts

½ (half) cup milk

2 tsp dry yeast

500g  baking potatoes, like Ranger Russets, peeled and cut into chunks

2 eggs

3 ½ (three and a half) cups plain flour

2 tbsp sugar

¼ (quarter) cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 orange, zested and juiced

2 lt rice bran oil for deep frying

3 tbsp lemon juice

150g icing sugar

In a small saucepan, heat the milk over low heat until warm. Add the yeast to the milk and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and bring to the boil, cooking until tender. Drain and pass through a food mill or ricer and place in a large bowl. Add the eggs, flour, sugar, 1/4 (quarter) cup oil, juice, and zest of orange and mix well to combine. Add the yeast mixture and knead well, adding more flour if necessary to keep the batter from becoming too sticky. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured bench to approximately 2 cm thickness.

Use an 8cm round cutter to cut the doughnut shapes.  Cut a small hole in the middle of each doughnut with a small cutter, or simply poke through a hole with your thumb. Re roll the doughnut off-cuts to use up the remaining dough. Place the doughnuts on a baking paper lined tray, cover with non-stick baking paper and a clean tea towel and let rise for another 15 minutes.

Heat oil in deep fryer to 190C.

Working in batches, fry the doughnuts until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning over halfway through. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Make the lemon icing by mixing the lemon juice with icing sugar in a shallow bowl to a runny consistency.

Dip the doughnuts in the icing, then serve.

Makes 12-14 doughnuts.