Sweet Potato Biscuits

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Makes about 20 small-size biscuits



1 pound sweet potatoes or yam (one large one is usually sufficient)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (chilled), cut into small pieces

1/4 cup milk


Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Prick the sweet potato and bake until soft (about one hour...you can also do this more quickly in a microwave). Once the sweet potato has cooled, scoop the flesh from the skin and pass through a food mill, ricer or sieve. You should have about 1 3/4 cups puree.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cayenne. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter (or use your fingers) until it resembles a course meal.

Mix milk with sweet potato puree and add it to the other ingredients. Mix dough, just to incorporate (I use my hands). If the dough is really sticky, add a touch more flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead a few times. Pat out to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut biscuits with a biscuit-cutter or glass.

2 inches in diameter is good.

Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Place in preheated oven and cook until risen and slightly brown, about 12 minutes (longer for larger biscuits). Serve warm.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes from Weber Grill

Cut potatoes into 1/4 wedges lengthwise. Brush with oil and season lightly. Mark on grill over direct high heat. Place in disposable roasting pan. Put in a 1/2 cup water, cover with plastic and foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes over indirect medium heat (about 350°F) until fork tender. Serve with Maple Bourbon Butter, recipe below.

MAPLE BOURBON BUTTER

1/2 pound butter, soft

4 ounces maple syrup (100% pure)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons Jim Beam Bourbon

1/4 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients. Wrap in parchment paper and freeze. When needed, cut medallions and dollop on the sweet potatoes.

Makes 8-10 servings

Yamma Damma Doo's

French-fried sweet potatoes with a brown sugar glaze!  I'm told this recipe comes from the Court Street Grill in Pomeroy, Ohio.  No, it's not low-cal but I'll trade delish for low-cal any day of the week!

Serves 2
Veg. Oil for frying

2  Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and julienned
2 TBSP Brown Sugar
1 TBSP  butter, melted

Heat oil to approximately 350 degress in a heavey medium saucepot.
Deep fry sweet potatoes, approximately 3 - 5 minutes
Remove from oil and drain on paper towel
Plate.... sprinkle with the brown sugar and drizzle with the hot melted butter

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Biz of Biggest Diabetic Loser has perfected the Best Oven Fries Ever (the picture is proof enough)!! I decided to throw caution to the wind and use the same technique, but for sweet potatoes instead.

My version was:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" to 1/2" slices
~5 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder

Preheat your oven to 475°. Then, peel and slice your sweet potatoes. Mine were very large so I cut the potatoes in half and then made strips. Be very careful cutting sweet potatoes! They're pretty resistant to a knife, so you have to use a little more muscle - you don't want that slipping and coming down on a finger!


Once the potatoes are sliced, soak them in water for about 10 minutes. I think this is key in successful oven fries because it'll help with getting them fully cooked in the beginning, leaving time for better browning in the end.


Prepare the baking pan by coating the bottom with about 4 Tbsp of the oil, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders. Pat the potatoes dry (I didn't, but I'm lazy!!) and toss with about 1 Tbsp of the oil. Lay the potato slices evenly on the baking pan.

Place the pan on the bottom rack of your oven, covered in foil, for 5 minutes. Again, this is key to the overall success. By being in the bottom of your oven, it is very close to the heating element, and by covering for the first five minutes you cook the potatoes through and can then start on the browning.

Remove the foil and then continue baking for 30 minutes. Every ten minutes remove the pan from the oven, flip the fries and then place it back in for another 10 minute round.

Mine were looking great until maybe the last 4 or 5 minutes, when I smelled that they were getting a little too dark. I think maybe because of their higher sugar content, they were more susceptible to burning. We happen to like the darker bits, but admittably some were a little charred.

I think this method would work perfectly for regular potatoes, but if using it to cook sweet potatoes keep a close watch on it the last 5 minutes! It happens fast and you'll want to catch them before they get black!

Overall, VERY delicious and easy to pop back into the oven and warm up leftovers. I dunked mine in ketchup, just as you would a "normal" fry. I look forward to cooking them with different spice experimenting in the future!