I came across a reference to this in an article about Scandinavia.
They are apparently a regional delicacy.
Best Answer
I think the toffee potatoes in the article must be Brune kartofler; the literal translation is "brown potatoes". They are simply small potatoes covered in caramelized sugar. The photo Ocaasi links to are potatoes gone terribly wrong. I think the photo caption is ironic.
They are a traditional side dish for any christmas meal with pork roast or duck.
Here is a video that shows how they are made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYoJ14RIIhs.
The recipe is as follows:
Boil small potatoes.
Peel them.
Distribute sugar evenly in the pan.
Warm until the sugar caramelizes.
Add butter in small pieces (amount of butter and sugar are equal).
When the butter is incorporated add the potatoes.
Distribute the caramel over the potates.
After 10 minutes the potatoes are done.
They should now have a nice layer of caramel around them.
Butter largely acts to prevent the crystallization of sugar in toffee. This leaves the toffee smooth and breakable.
Fats in candy serve a similar purpose. Fatty ingredients such as
butter help interfere with crystallization—again, by getting in the
way of the sucrose molecules that are trying to lock together into
crystals. Toffee owes its smooth texture and easy breakability to an
absence of sugar crystals, thanks to a large amount of butter in the
mix.
There's more about the role of ingredients in candies here.
You should still be able to make stickjaw (or, if not authentic stickjaw, at least a more sticky) toffee. The consistency of toffee has more to do with the temperature you bring the toffee to while cooking. Here's a chart detailing the various stages of candy temperatures. For a sticky toffee you'd most likely want to bring your toffee to the soft-crack stage.
I'm not sure it matters that much. In melting sugar for various candies, the reason for not stirring is so that you don't inadvertently cause the sugar to recrystalize. For toffee, that isn't a concern. I'd stir it at least enough to ensure it won't scorch, and not worry about it otherwise.
Best Answer
I think the toffee potatoes in the article must be Brune kartofler; the literal translation is "brown potatoes". They are simply small potatoes covered in caramelized sugar. The photo Ocaasi links to are potatoes gone terribly wrong. I think the photo caption is ironic.
They are a traditional side dish for any christmas meal with pork roast or duck. Here is a video that shows how they are made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYoJ14RIIhs.
The recipe is as follows: