I-Don't-Like-Potatoes Potato Dango

A friend from the forest kindergarten the kids used to go to had a son who didn't like potatoes but her father grew a lot of them. She looked for a recipe that jazzed them up and modified their potato-ness and found a recipe for potato dango. Her son loves these. The first time I tried them, I was surprised by how chewy and tasty they were. She brought them to our  potluck event and they were not piping hot when served but were still exceptionally good and in fact were one of the first things gone at the buffet. This recipe makes about 10 pieces of potato dango (about 4 cm diameter). Double or triple the recipe as needed - you'll probably need to!

5 pieces small potatoes
2 T katakuriko or cornstarch (the more you put, the chewier they become)
2 T milk or soy milk
1 T mirin
2 T soy sauce
1 T sugar (optional)
Oil for pan frying

Mix the mirin, soy sauce and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Peel the potatoes and boil them until soft enough for a fork to go through. Drain the water and pat dry. Mash the potatoes with a fork (I like to do it by hand). Add the katakuriko and the milk. Mix and mash well. Form them into round flat cakes about 4 cm in diameter and about 1 cm thick. Pan fry them in oil until slightly brown. When done, add the mirin-soy sauce-sugar mix and toss the potato dango in the sauce until nicely coated. Serve.