Eatwell Recipe 16: Sweet Potato Biscuits

Saturday, May 23, 2009

So far, our little William is a fairly easy baby (fingers crossed for this to continue!) Much to my pleased surprise, I actually had time this morning to bake a batch of these yummy sweet potato biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits Cooling From Oven

This week's CSA produce box included a paper bag full of sweet potatoes and yams (a mix of the two.) Although we like both yams and sweet potatoes, I had trouble believing that we would be able to eat five of them before they went bad so I made a double batch of the biscuits to use up two of the 'taters. The recipe was included in the farm's newsletter and is attributed to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Boiled sweet potatoes awaiting peeling & mashing

Although I am not southern, the appeal of biscuits is far from lost on me. Soft, bready, and short, I think they are good on their own with a little butter or as a way to sop up extra gravy or sauce as part of a meal. And the sweet potatoes in this recipe add a little sweetness, flavor and a pleasing yellow-orange tint. I also threw in some chili powder and ground cumin for a little added pizzaz.

Sweet Potato Biscuits Cooling From Oven

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Biscuits
Makes roughly 10 biscuits

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed (1 small to medium-sized sweet potato)
* 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

* 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

* 1 Tbsp baking powder

* 1 tsp salt
* 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1/2 tsp chili powder or ground cumin (optional)


Directions


1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease a cookie sheet. Quarter the sweet potato, place in a pot of water, bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until sweet potato is soft all the way through. Drain and let cool completely, then peel and mash. Set aside in fridge.


2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir well to combine. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and cut into the dry ingredients using two knives or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Chill until ready to use.


3. Add the milk to the mashed sweet potato and mix well with a whisk or a fork. Add any spices you'd like to use to this mixture. Pour the sweet potato and milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir quickly to form a ball (you may need to use your hands...)


4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead just until it comes together (you don't want to handle it too much or it will get tough.) Pat the dough out lightly with your hands until it is roughly 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds with either a biscuit cutter or the floured edge of a drinking glass, tin can, etc.


5. Bake on the greased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes or until the biscuits are light brown.

Like this recipe? Click here to browse through more Eatwell Recipes.

The Eatwell Project: a year of seasonal recipes -- logo by Eve Fox

2 comments:

nicolegrumpybear said...

I REALLY love your blog. I've been vegan for four years but I don't personally know anyone else who is. I am also a college student on a budget and these recipes that you provide are wonderful. I've also been considering joining my local CSA and I think now that I will.

Eve Fox said...

Thanks so much! Always nice to hear. Do you know about 101 Cookbooks? http://www.101cookbooks.com/ Heidi features almost exclusively vegetarian recipes, many of which are vegan, too.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Eatwell Recipe 16: Sweet Potato Biscuits

So far, our little William is a fairly easy baby (fingers crossed for this to continue!) Much to my pleased surprise, I actually had time this morning to bake a batch of these yummy sweet potato biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits Cooling From Oven

This week's CSA produce box included a paper bag full of sweet potatoes and yams (a mix of the two.) Although we like both yams and sweet potatoes, I had trouble believing that we would be able to eat five of them before they went bad so I made a double batch of the biscuits to use up two of the 'taters. The recipe was included in the farm's newsletter and is attributed to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Boiled sweet potatoes awaiting peeling & mashing

Although I am not southern, the appeal of biscuits is far from lost on me. Soft, bready, and short, I think they are good on their own with a little butter or as a way to sop up extra gravy or sauce as part of a meal. And the sweet potatoes in this recipe add a little sweetness, flavor and a pleasing yellow-orange tint. I also threw in some chili powder and ground cumin for a little added pizzaz.

Sweet Potato Biscuits Cooling From Oven

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Biscuits
Makes roughly 10 biscuits

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed (1 small to medium-sized sweet potato)
* 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

* 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

* 1 Tbsp baking powder

* 1 tsp salt
* 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1/2 tsp chili powder or ground cumin (optional)


Directions


1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease a cookie sheet. Quarter the sweet potato, place in a pot of water, bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until sweet potato is soft all the way through. Drain and let cool completely, then peel and mash. Set aside in fridge.


2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir well to combine. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and cut into the dry ingredients using two knives or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Chill until ready to use.


3. Add the milk to the mashed sweet potato and mix well with a whisk or a fork. Add any spices you'd like to use to this mixture. Pour the sweet potato and milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir quickly to form a ball (you may need to use your hands...)


4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead just until it comes together (you don't want to handle it too much or it will get tough.) Pat the dough out lightly with your hands until it is roughly 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds with either a biscuit cutter or the floured edge of a drinking glass, tin can, etc.


5. Bake on the greased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes or until the biscuits are light brown.

Like this recipe? Click here to browse through more Eatwell Recipes.

The Eatwell Project: a year of seasonal recipes -- logo by Eve Fox

2 comments:

nicolegrumpybear said...

I REALLY love your blog. I've been vegan for four years but I don't personally know anyone else who is. I am also a college student on a budget and these recipes that you provide are wonderful. I've also been considering joining my local CSA and I think now that I will.

Eve Fox said...

Thanks so much! Always nice to hear. Do you know about 101 Cookbooks? http://www.101cookbooks.com/ Heidi features almost exclusively vegetarian recipes, many of which are vegan, too.