If you live outside the Pacific Northwest, you are doubtless wondering why an article about an "Idaho Spud" is being posted on a dessert blog.  Idaho Spuds are one of the few remaining regional independent candies in America, and in an era of globalization and the inescapable force of market expansion and corporate buy-outs and mergers, that is a very rare thing, indeed.

The Idaho Spud is made by the Idaho Candy Company, and has been since WWI.  The Idaho Candy Company is located in Boise, and although they make a lot of different candy bars, it's the Idaho Spud which has been "exported to a wider audience," so to speak.  If by "wider audience" you understand I mean "Washington and Oregon."

The Idaho Spud is basically a rocky road style thingie, but it is so much more delicious.  It is, as you might expect, shaped like a potato.  The center is cocoa-flavored marshmallow, which manages to be tender but not chewy, gooey, or rubbery.  This is covered with dark chocolate, and the whole thing sprinkled in coconut.  

The ingredients are high quality, which also distinguishes it from the pack.  These days candy bars are made with the cheapest stuff possible, which affects the taste tremendously.  (There's a reason America is a laughingstock on the international candy spectrum.)  Good ingredients can make a wonder out of something as plain-sounding as marshmallow and chocolate.  And the reverse is also true, as you can see if you ever try a Rocky Road candy bar.

The texture of the Idaho Spud is simply sublime.  And some marriage of the flavors always brings to mind a hint of maple flavor, even though there isn't any maple.  

I see that their website sells vendor boxes of Idaho Spuds, $65 for a box of 120 Idaho Spuds.  Color me tempted!  It isn't always easy to find an Idaho Spud when you want one.  Idaho Spuds are something that you can only find in the oddball candy aisles.  They tend not to be carried by the national chain grocery stores like Safeway, but can often be found in national chain drug stores like Walgreens.  Don't ask me to explain the logic there, but it's true.  

I found the Idaho Spud I bought for this review at the Pioneer Market here in La Conner, an independent mini-grocery store, somewhat larger than a 7-11 but smaller than a Safeway.  Local markets like this are often the stomping ground of the Idaho Spud, so be sure to check them!

The Idaho Spud's website includes a list of recipes, most of which are as hilarious as these things often tend to be.  For example, I doubt that I will ever be coerced into making a hot drink out of melted Idaho Spuds, half and half, and Irish whiskey.  However, I have to confess to having a tingle of curiosity about the Idaho Spud ice cream topping (melt Idaho Spuds; apply to vanilla ice cream).

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, or happen to pass through, support your local candy maker and track down some Idaho Spuds!