A Yankee solution to those leftover whipped sweet potatoes

By Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

H

ere is a recipe that has its roots in “the county.” Aroostook County, Maine, has long been the hub of potato growing in Maine, and much of New England. Potato bread was first made in this cold climate of Maine, so it is fitting that sweet potatoes find their way into another comfort food that we Yankees are so well-adept at making — biscuits. This is the perfect vehicle to use any remaining whipped sweet potatoes after Christmas dinner. Or you can use one sweet potato to yield the amount generally needed in this recipe.

Leftover whipped sweet potatoes make wonderful post-Christmas breakfast biscuits.

2 cups flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Large pinch dried cloves
1/3 cup butter or margarine, cold
1 cup cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients well. With your fingers or two butter knives working in scissor fashion, cut in the cold butter until pea-sized. Add remainder of ingredients and blend well with either your hands or a sturdy spoon. A dough hook would work perfectly.

Heavily flour a work surface and transfer dough to knead just 4 to 5 times, enough to hold together without your hands sticking to it. Pat out with your hands or rolling pin until about an inch and a half thick. With a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass dipped in flour, cut out your biscuits. Knead any remaining dough and continue cutting until all the dough is used.  Place each biscuit on an ungreased cookie sheet. You can leave space in between each to create a crispy, all-around biscuit or snuggle them together for soft-sided biscuits. Brush excess flour from the top of each and brush with milk.

Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Schiffer Books of Pennsylvania has released Jim Bailey’s new book The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen. It contains more than 550 traditional New England comfort-food recipes tweaked for today’s palates with hundreds of kitchen tips and food facts. The hardback book is 312 pages and contains 200 color images. Its ISBN is 978-0-7643-4191-5 and the cost is $34.99. The book can be ordered through Misty Valley Books, 802-875-3400.