Fall flavors in the form of a biscuit
The focus of this post is fall, but there is no season for biscuits or sweet potatoes in my world. What makes a weekend morning more enjoyable than one that starts with a homemade dish? Topped with butter and maybe a little honey, these would be a delicious start to your day. Of course, they’d also make a great side for dinner. So many options- you pick the time of day and then make a batch. You won’t be disappointed!
Onto the original post!
I know fall is supposed to be all about pumpkins and apples, but really there are more fall ingredients out there. I’d be remiss if I didn’t think about cooking with sweet potatoes. These root vegetables are a top choice in my menu planning. Not only do they have more nutritional value than a plain potato, they also have oh so much more flavor. And honestly, I find them to be yummy without any toppings. I can’t say that about a plain potato.
Of course, it’s not all healthy eating for me. One of my favorite weekend splurges is a bigger Sunday breakfast. Sometimes it’s homemade scones or pancakes, other times eggs are the focus of my plate, but, of course, I still need some sort of starch to please my palate. That’s how these biscuits came to be.
Sure, a regular biscuit topped with butter and jam makes a fine side for some scrambled eggs. But what’s the harm in mixing things up a little? The addition of sweet potato adds a little bit of nutrients, some extra flavor, and a pretty color to the biscuit. Plus, it’s September, so it’s time to start embracing fall and its ingredients.
When I made these biscuits I opted to mash the sweet potato by hand, which meant that I had slightly lumpy sweet potato. I debated whether to throw it into the food processor for a smooth consistency. I opted not to do so and am glad I didn’t.
The result of lumpy sweet potatoes was a biscuit with a little bit of texture and some extra bursts of sweet potato flavor. If you’re someone who prefers uniformity, I’d recommend puréeing the sweet potatoes.
Another side note- like all biscuits, serve them warm. When you top them with butter, be sure to have some honey or cinnamon-sugar nearby. The extra hint of sweetness makes these biscuits over the moon amazing.
Get ready to appreciate this other fall flavor! (And yes, there will be apple and pumpkin recipes in the near future.)
- 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- Preheat over to 425.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sweet potato and 1/4 cup milk.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two forks until the butter is the size of peas.
- Add the sweet potato mixture, folding to combine.
- Add the remaining milk a little at a time until all the flour is moistened. (You may not need to use all of the milk.)
- Sprinkle work surface with flour.
- Place the dough on the lightly floured work surface.
- Pat it into a rectangle about 3/4″ thick.
- Fold it into thirds, and roll with a floured rolling pin until the dough is 3/4″ thick again.
- Cut into 10-12 rectangles.
- Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until light golden brown and firm to the touch, about 20 minutes.
- Serve warm.
