Mashed Potato Biscuits with Cranberry Jam

Preparing the Biscuits

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C), and adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven.
2. Pierce the potatoes with a fork or a pairing knife and place them on a baking sheet.* Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
   • Tip: To ensure the potatoes are super light and fluffy use a probe thermometer to check the internal temperature, the thermometer should read 205°F (96°C).
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes.
4. After the potatoes have cooled slightly but are still hot carefully remove skin and pass the potato flesh through a potato ricer or a food mill. (You can also mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher.) Add fold sour cream into the potatoes with a rubber spatula until it is just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix the potatoes or they may become gluey.
5. In a large bowl combine the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and sea salt. Mix the dry ingredients until well combined.
6. Using a box grater, grate the butter into the flour mixture and using a fork or the tips of your fingers gently crumb the butter into the flour mixture. When finished the butter and the flour should resemble a coarse meal.
   • Tip: This can all be done in a food processor to save time.
7. Fold the cooled mashed potato mixture into the flour and butter mixture until it is just combined. Be sure not to overmix; it will result in tough biscuits.
8. Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle more flour on top of the dough and pat it down with your hands until it is about 1-inch thick.
9. Fold the dough in half onto itself, and then press or roll it to about 1 inch thickness. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold it in half again; press or roll it to about 1 inch thickness again. Rotate the dough 90 degrees again and repeat the fold one more time, pressing or gently rolling the dough about 1 inch thick.
10. Cover the biscuit dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes in the fridge.  In the meantime, clean up your work surface and apply a light dusting of fresh flour.
11. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on the floured surface. Gently press or roll the dough into a one-inch thick rectangle about 6 inches by 12 inches. Using a very sharp knife cut the biscuits into 3×3 inch squares.
    • You can also use a biscuit cutter for round biscuits but cutting the biscuits into squares ensures no wasted dough.  If using a round cutter, you can rework the scraps to make more biscuits; however, working the dough more means the second batch of biscuits will be slightly tougher than the first.
12. Place the biscuits on a non-stick baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Brush the biscuits with the beaten egg and water mixture.
13. Bake the biscuits for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown and risen.
14. Allow the biscuits to cool for about 20 minutes before enjoying.

Preparing the Cranberry Jam

1. Bring all the jam ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepot, then reduce to medium heat.
2. Stirring occasionally, cook the mixture until the jam has reduced by about a third.
3. Remove from the heat and discard the star anise and cinnamon stick.
4. Place the jam into a glass crock or jelly jars and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

Enjoy the biscuits with the jam and some butter.

*If using leftover mashed potatoes, measure out 1 1/2 cups; if using dehydrated potatoes, use 1 cup of dehydrated flakes and 1 1/2 cups of cold water to reconstitute potatoes. Allow them to sit for 2-3 minutes. Skip steps 1-5 and start recipe at step 6.