Sweet Potato Biscuits

Now that the sky is abruptly pitch black at 5:00, I definitely understand that fall is underway.  Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, as I've already babbled excitedly, so this means that it's time to start practicing some goodies to present as side dishes!

My friend Hannah gave me a recipe for sweet potato biscuits, originally from her boss, originally from ... I don't know who rightfully deserves the credit, in all honesty.  I like to credit my sources, but sometimes it gets a little bit tricky.

I like this recipe because it starts off by making mashed sweet potatoes. This means that you can make a whole big pot of mashed sweet potatoes, scoop out some for the biscuits, and serve the rest. In making these biscuits, you get a bonus side dish! Everyone likes a good BOGO (buy one get one) deal!

one little, two little, three little biscuits!

For your biscuits, you'll need an oven preheated to 400 degrees F and a lightly greased baking sheet. Start by washing and peeling a medium sweet potato (or more if you'd like to have extra mashed sweet potatoes).  Then, take out your big knife and dice/hack the orange spud into cubes.  This would be a great time to make sure your knife has been properly sharpened! Throw the sweet potato cubes in a pot of cold water, add a few pinches of salt, and turn the stovetop on high. Once the water boils, turn the heat down so the sweet potatoes can simmer for a few minutes.  About 8 to 10 minutes is suggested, but you'll know when yours are done when they are tender enough to be stabbed with a fork. Drain your sweet potatoes and mash them.  I don't have a potato masher, but I used a whisk quite successfully in the classic up-down motion of a potato masher. I felt like the smartest little lady in the world for figuring out a potato masher substitute!

Now, measure out 1/2 cup of the mashed sweet potatoes and combine that with 3/4 cup of milk. (I used whole milk because you need/get to fatten up for winter! Sweaters will hide your little food baby.)  In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 3/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Then, add in 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter cut into little pieces and get excited for the next paragraph.

Congratulations! You've reached the point of messy hands, so memorize the next few steps because you won't want to touch your computer!  Roll up your sleeves and use your hands to massage the butter into the dry ingredients.  There isn't a lot of butter, but it's important to squeeze it into little pieces so that it disperses evenly. Next, add all of the flour mixture to the dry ingredients in one go. Squeeze it a few times so that the dough forms into a ball. Don't play too much or your biscuits will feel sad and manhandled.

If you want to work really hard then you can flour a counter top, roll out the dough, and cut your dough into perfect biscuits.  If you are super lazy, you can make drop biscuits by grabbing a tablespoon or two of dough and dropping it onto the tray.  If you are somewhere in the middle (or just want biscuits that look like those in my picture), then grab a tablespoon or two of dough, form it into a circle that is about half an inch thick, and place that on the pan.

Once all your dough is in your desired biscuit shape, wash off your hands and bake your biscuits for 8 to 10 minutes.  This is just enough time to clean up your kitchen, but don't let yourself get distracted!  Your perfectly done biscuits will be lightly browned on the bottom and flaky throughout. Yum!

Now, you can try eating these biscuits along with mashed sweet potatoes and see if you can manage to turn yourself orange. If you can, I'd love to see a picture.  I think these biscuits are pretty healthy, since there is some whole wheat flour and very little butter.  The genius thing is the biscuits get most of their moisture from the sweet potatoes and milk.  If you're worried about fat, you can use a milk with lower fat content.

Shopping list:

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cup white flour
• 1-2 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder