With St Patty's Day more than a week gone by, Easter around the corner, I have two, yes two cravings that must be satisfied. First you must know that I can't get enough of those Philly special Irish Potato Candies. Buttery, creamy coconut balls rolled in powdered cinnamon by far beat any truffle I've ever tasted. On top of all that, I can't get Aunt Mickie's best ever New York cheesecake off my mind. See her dad, my husbands grandfather was a baker at the Waldorf Astoria raising nine kids in lower Manhattan at the turn of the last century. Boy, could that family bake! Her cheesecake was legendary at family gatherings. But now I've divined a way to combine a Philly Classic with a New York goddess. And it's baking away as we speak. Here's what I did to mosh these two divinities.

Irish Potato Candy Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Prepare 9"springform pan by spraying with cooking spray and wrapping outside of pan with large sheet of aluminum foil.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
4 8oz. Packages cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup flaked coconut
2 Tablespoons butter (softened)
Powdered cinnamon
Crust:
In medium bowl, use a fork to combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press into bottom of prepared springform pan. Chill while assembling filling.
Filling:
In cuisine-art, process flaked coconut until fine. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in sugar, coconut, and vanilla. Beat all ingredients until smooth. Do not overbeat.
Pour/spoon filling into springform pan and set pan into larger roasting pan. Add boiling water to roasting pan so it comes up to about an inch on sides of springform pan. Set this into oven and bake 50 minutes or until cake is almost set. Turn oven off and let cake cool for an hour in oven before removing. Let cake cool completely before serving. Best if refrigerated overnight. Enjoy!