Lunch: Potato, Onion and Caraway Cloverleaf Rolls

Potatoes lend moistness, and caraway seeds and onions--two ingredients favored by German, Scandinavian and Eastern European immigrants--add flavor to these traditionally shaped rolls.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 10-ounce russet potato
3/4 cup warm water (105 °F to 115 °F)
2 envelopes dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
3 1/4 cups (or more) bread flour
1 egg, beaten to blend (glaze)

Instructions

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and sauté until golden and tender, about 12 minutes. Add caraway seeds and stir 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Pierce potato in several places with fork. Place in microwave oven; cook on high 5 minutes. Turn potato over; cook on high until very tender, about 4 minutes longer. Cool slightly. Peel potato. Place potato in small bowl and mash until very smooth. Transfer 1/2 cup mashed potato to large bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment (reserve remainder for another use).
Place 1/2 cup warm water in glass measuring cup. Sprinkle yeast and 1/4 teaspoon sugar over and stir to blend. Let stand until yeast dissolves and mixture is slightly foamy, about 10 minutes.
Add salt and remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1/3 sugar to mashed potato in mixer bowl. Beat until smooth. Add remaining 1/4 cup warm water and 2 eggs and beat until well blended. Pour in yeast mixture and mix until blended. Stir in onion mixture. Mix in 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time. Beat until dough is smooth but slightly sticky, about 4 minutes.
Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough is sticky, about 5 minutes. Butter large bowl. Form dough into ball and add to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Butter 2 heavy large baking sheets. Punch down dough. Turn dough out onto floured work surface and knead 2 minutes. Divide dough into 16 equal portions. Divide dough into 16 equal portions. Divide each portion into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece firmly into smooth ball. For each roll, place 3 balls close together on baking sheet (balls should touch at center), forming 8 cloverleaf rolls on each baking sheet and spacing evenly. Cover rolls with clean kitchen towels. Let rolls rise in warm draft-free area until puffy and almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven and preheat oven to 375 °F. Brush rolls with egg glaze. Bake until rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, switching top and bottom baking sheets halfway through baking, about 20 minutes. Transfer rolls to racks and cool. Serve rolls warm or at room temperature. (Rolls can be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead. Wrap rolls tightly in aluminum foil and freeze. If desired, re-warm thawed wrapped rolls in 350 °F oven about 10 minutes.)