Canary island doughnuts

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 lb. (about 1 large) boiled or baked sweet potato, mashed
1 1/2 C. chopped toasted almonds
3/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. milk
2 T. Pernod
1 tsp. aniseed, toasted and ground
1 tsp. lemon zest
Pinch of cinnamon

Pastry:

8 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon zest
3/4 C. Crisco, chilled
1/4 C. unsalted butter, chilled
Ice water

Preparation:

Filling: In a medium bowl, combine all filling ingredients. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Sprinkle in the lemon zest.
Cut in the shortening and butter with a pastry blender or fork.
Add ice water a tablespoon at a time, adding only the minimum needed to barely hold the dough together.
Wrap the dough in plastic, and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Roll the dough out 1/4 inch thick on a floured pastry board or counter.
With a biscuit cutter, cut out 4-inch rounds. Top each round with about 2 tablespoons of filling.
Fold the round in half, pinch the edges to seal them, and crimp them with a fork.
Add vegetable oil to a heavy saucepan to a depth of at least 4 inches and heat to 350°F.
If the oil smokes before reaching the correct temperature, it cannot be used for deep frying. Use only fresh, unused oil.
Fry the doughnuts until they are lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Drain them, and sprinkle them with sifted confectioners sugar. Serve them immediately.