Sweeeeeeet Potato Pancakes

[Dover]

Thought I'd crosspost this here from the Gardening forum:

As we indulged in delicious sweet potato
& walnut pancakes this morning, I pondered
all the uses for the versatile sweet potato
as well as how I might grow, store and prepare
them if I added a small crop to my garden.
It is one of my favorite veggies and satisfies
my sweet tooth too. I was particularly
interested in how one makes sweet potato flour,
so I did some googling on that and came up with
this cool site. "Dang!", I thought to myself.
These taters deserve their own thread! :

_____________________________________________________


HOW THE FARMER CAN SAVE HIS SWEET POTATOES
AND WAYS OF PREPARING THEM FOR THE TABLE

BY GEO. W. CARVER, M. S. AGR., D. Sc.
Director, Experiment Station, TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE
Tuskegee Institute Press 1937

http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/recipes/sweetpotatoes.html

Here's a nibble from this page:


HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO FLOUR

There are several grades of this product and quite as many ways to manufacture them. Each one of these flours or meals (as most millers insist upon calling them) has a particular character of its own and is therefore, adapted to certain uses the other products are not.

These sweet potato flours are generally speaking of three kinds.

First: Those made from the uncooked potato.

Second: Those made from the cooked potato.

Third: Those made from a careful system of roasting, or from the starch making process. The first two will interest the housewife most so, therefore, I will dwell almost or quite exclusively on these.

FLOUR No. 1. FROM THE RAW POTATO

Here, all that is necessary is to wash, peel and slice the potatoes real thin, dry in the sun, oven or dryer until the pieces are quite brittle, grind very fine in a clean coffee mill, spice mill, or any type of mill that will make wheat flour or corn meal; bolt through fine cloth in the same way as for other flours.


The fine flour-like particles will pass through and the coarse granular meal left on the bolting cloths.

USES

This kind of flour is fine for making mock rye bread, ginger snaps, wafers, waffles, battercakes, custards, pies, etc. Bread can be made with it, but it makes a dough deficient in elasticity, bread dark in color and a loaf which dries out quickly.

The coarser meals can be cooked in a. great variety of ways and make very palatable dishes, they Are to be soaked in warm liquid (whatever is desired. to cook them in) when soft, proceed as for grated potatoes.

FLOUR No. 2. FROM COOKED POTATOES

For the making of this flour the potatoes are broiled, or steamed (preferably the latter) until done, sliced or granulated by mashing or running through a food chopper and dried until they become very brittle, they are made into flour and meal exactly the same as given for Flour No. 1.

USES

This kind of flour is especially fine for bread, cakes, pies, puddings, sauce, gravies, custards, etc.

Indeed, most people consider a loaf made in the proportion of one-third sweet potato flour to two-thirds wheat flour, superior in flavor and appearance to all wheat flour.

Many experiments have proven that either the mashed sweet potato or the sweet potato flour may be used in bread up to as high as 50%, but at this point it becomes decidedly potato-like in texture and flavor but not unplatable or unwholesome.

FLOUR No. 3. FROM PULP

The sugar and starch has been greatly reduced. This flour is made from the pulp after the starch has been removed, it is dried without cooking, ground and bolted exactly the same as recommended for the other flours.

When made into puddings, pies, blancmange, etc., the same as shredded cocoanut, it resembles it very much in taste and texture and is very palatable, and is a most welcome addition to the dietary.

It can also be used in the baking of bread and is especially valuable where people object to a loaf with the least bit of a sweet taste, also where they wish one with as little starch and sugar as possible.

__________________________________________________________




Sweet Potato Pancakes
can be made from fresh potatoes
or using sweet potato flour (or meal)
for a smooth texture.
You can also buy ready-made mixes.
They are great for breakfast, lunch,
dinner and dessert, easily combining
with all kinds of foods.
-------------------------------------



Here's one basic breakfast recipe, but
there are more variations on this theme than
can be listed here. This uses grated potatoes
for a more rustic texture (as seen in photos above):

4-6 servings
Time 20 minutes
Tools: grater or food processor
large bowl
wooden spoon
frying pan
spatula

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled or scrubbed
Chopped walnuts or pecans
3-4 T lemon or apple juice
1 t salt
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 c flour
oil

Grate the sweet potatoes.
Put everything except the oil in the bowl and mix well.

Heat 1-2 t of oil until very hot.

Put some pancake mix on the frying pan and use the spatula to pat it down, forming a thin pancake.

Fry until brown, flip, and repeat, adding more oil as necessary.

These should be served hot, with butter, sour cream, yogurt, apple sauce, or your favorite sweet potato topping.

Bon Appetit!

[hippywife]

1. Those both look divine!

And it reminded me that I've been meaning to make these for sometime now and keep forgetting:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Potato-Pecan-Waffles/Detail.aspx

I have too much to do this morning, but one of these is gonna be breakfast tomorrow morning.

Thanx for the reminder, Dover. :hi:

[Dover]

2. Thanks for the recipe. Ah yes, I completely forgot about canned pureed sweet potatoes!

I prefer fresh, but the canned stuff is great in a pinch. :hi:

[hippywife]

3. I do have a

very lovely, large sweet potato sitting on the kitchen counter, as we speak, which will be used for same in the morning. :9

And I really need to take advantage of the very long Oklahoma summer and fall to get some into the ground, too.

[hippywife]

12. I did it!

I made these sweet potato pecan waffles and they were awesome! DH said they were good enough to serve as a dessert with dinner. He loved them and so did I. :9

My modifications (you knew there would be some.):

I cut the recipe to 4 servings,
Used a fresh sweet potato,
Used whole wheat pastry flour,
Used yogurt instead of milk,
Added some vanilla to the egg/yogurt mix,
Before adding the egg whites I stirred in soy milk, 3 TBS. one at a time until it was the consistency I was looking for. I knew it was going to be thicker with the whole wheat pastry flour so I saved this step to the end rather than trying to compensate for it at the beginning.

This was a lot of work and used up a lot of dishes, LOL, but was really, really delicious!

[Dover]

13. Success! PICTURES! Hope you took some to make us all jealous.

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

I was a little confused at first by your post this morning because I didn't recall using any milk or yogurt in my recipe, and then realized you made the recipe YOU had posted. That and I'm still half asleep. So yours were the smooth nonrustic variety similar to the last picture in the OP?
Thanks for the review. Sounds like a 5-star recommendation. I'm gonna try it when when I have more time and want to mess up some dishes.

I'm basically lazy in the morning and like the simplicity of the rustic recipe I posted. I keep a baggy of shredded potatoes in the frig whenever I feel a potato pancake urge coming over me. That really helps save time for making the pancakes quickly in the morning. The sweet truth about sweet potatoes is that you don't have to do much to them to improve the taste.

I'm preparing the enchilada recipe (posted below) later this morning to have for lunch and will report back about that one.

[hippywife]

14. You know

I thought about taking a pic but it was just a waffle. LOL Plus the husband was starving. As much as I love that rustic pancake pic, he chose to have waffles. Served them with real butter and maple syrup, MSF "sausage" links (I'm really starting to enjoy those on their own merit.)

I showed husband the enchilada recipe and he's totally game. I'll definitely look forward to The Enchilada Report. LOL

[Dover]

15. Not just ANY waffle! It sounds like it was a work of art and a labor of love.

Told you I was half asleep. As you can tell by my last post I didn't even realize you wrote 'waffle' instead of pancakes.
I'll be fully awake about midday...don't you worry.

Anyhoo, they sound wonderful and I'm glad your hubby agreed so you can enjoy them together.

[hippywife]

16. They really were good.

When I do it again, I'll prepare the sweet potato the night before to save a little time. It really wasn't that bad this morning. I just cut it small chunks and microwaved, covered in a little water, and then pureed it in the food processor.

Have you ever had a Dutch Baby Pancake? I make these every great once in awhile and serve them with a sauce of cooked fresh fruit. It'll feed four people.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/GermanPancake.htm

[Dover]

17. OMGawd!

Those look incredible. I've never heard of them. I can't seem to get to the recipe on that site for some reason....

[hippywife]

18. Really?

It's not scrolling down to the recipe in the middle then followed by all pictures with directions for assembly?

[Dover]

19. D'oh! I pressed the highlighted recipe beneath the picture instead of scrolling down.

I read the page and it doesn't look all that difficult. But SOOOOOO delicious looking.
Any tricks I should know about?

Thanks for bringing this new food to my attention!

[hippywife]

20. No tricks.

Just exactly as they say. I usually don't mess with the lemon juice, except into the fruit when I cook it, or the powdered sugar. If I want it a little sweeter, I drizzle just a little real maple syrup on it with the fruit snuggled up against it.

[Dover]

21. Well I may try that today as long as the oven is hot from the enchiladas. Thanks! .n/t

[hippywife]

22. I'm sure it would

make as delicious a dessert as it does breakfast. Enjoy!

[Dover]

23. Question. Does this need to be consumed right away, or might it last a day or two?

I suppose you'd want to eat it hot, but just wondering if it can be prepared to eat later,
or even refrigerated?

[hippywife]

24. It is best served immediately

but since there's only two of us and, while it's terribly good, it's not advisable to eat the whole thing in one sitting. I cut do slice the extra, wrap and refrigerate for the husband's breakfast during the week. I pack it with his lunch and he eats it at work. He said it was just fine.

[Dover]

25. Do you make the 2-4 serving version or the 4-6?

I was thinking about the making the 2-4, but then wondered if it might be too little batter
for my big cast iron skillet.

Oh well, I'll figure it out. Thanks.

[hippywife]

26. That's what I thought, too.

So I just go ahead and make the bigger one and have leftovers.

[Dover]

29. Oh...oh....oooooooh these were FANTASTIC!

Made it this morning and can't get over how wonderful it is...taste, texture...everything!

Drizzled just a tiny bit of molasses on it and added peach preserves and a dab of sour cream.

HEAVEN!

[hippywife]

30. Ah, how I long to

have been still at home this morning to untake something like that. I'm at work and I hate my job so much! I took yesterday off just to stay home and do what I love...cooking and canning, and playing in the garden. I wanna stay home! Waaaaaaaaaa!

Oops...sorry. Glad you enjoyed them. I made two extra and put them in the freezer. Popped them in the toaster oven for the husband's breakfast yesterday and today. Yesterday he at it normally. When he works I have to pack his breakfast so I toasted it and spread Sunbutter on it (kinda like peanut butter but made out of sunflower seeds.) He ate it like a sandwich.

[Dover]

4. A summer treat

crossposting again -

Kids usually LOVE LOVE LOVE the pancakes, breads, pies and cakes made with
sweet potatoes, and most anything else so long as they don't scream "VEGETABLE!". And they don't even know that they're eating something healthy. I even made sweet potato frozen popsicles one summer for a kids party and they were a big hit....except for that one kid.....sigh. (mash cooked potatoes really well, add vanilla/plain yogurt or milk or soy milk, a little apple juice and pumpkin spice, nutmeg and cinnamon. Texture is important so mix it until it's really smooth then freeze in cubes or a mold).

[Dover]

5. My next experiment - Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchilada's

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchilada's

Ingredients
5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2-3 tsp of curry powder
1/4 cup of Quick Green Chili Salsa
2 lbs. of canned black beans
5-6 cloves of garlic, crushed
Juice of one lime
One tsp of cumin
1/2-3/4 cup part skim shredded cheese (I like Cheddar or Jack)
12 corn tortillas
2 cups of veggie broth
Fat pinch of salt

Makes 12 enchiladas with plenty of leftover beans and potatoes. *If you don't want the leftovers, you can half the amount of beans and potatoes that the recipe calls for.
Directions
Sweet Potatoes

Steam cubed sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes or until tender. Once they are tender enough to smash with a fork, pop them into a bowl with curry powder, green chili salsa and a pinch of salt. Mash the potatoes with a fork along the side of the bowl until you have a creamy consistency with some chunks!

Black Beans

Drain and rinse the beans. Then combine the beans with crushed garlic, cumin and lime juice...give it a taste...good? Good. Set it aside.

Assembly

Choose a large baking dish (or two small) that will hold 12 enchiladas.

Pour enough Green Chili Salsa to lightly coat the bottom of your baking dish.

In a medium saute pan, bring your broth to a simmer and then one by one you have to drop a tortilla into the broth and remove it right away (basically it's just a quick dip in and out).

Place the tortilla into the baking dish and really get it into the sauce. Spoon a couple tablespoons of the sweet potato mixture down the center then top with a couple tablespoons of the black beans. Wrap and roll the tortilla to the end of the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.

Once you have all of your enchiladas wrapped up, top them with some more Green Chili Salsa and then sprinkle with some shredded cheese.

When you are ready to serve them, pop them into a 350' oven for about 30 minutes and enjoy!!

[hippywife]

9. Now that looks great!

I'm going to have to try to remember that one. Thanx!

[Dover]

10. I forgot to mention in that recipe about the 'leftover' ingredients.

If you do make it, you might want to cut the ingredients in half
because the amount of filling is purposely doubled so as to have leftovers for another day.
In other words, the sweet potato/bean filling is twice as much as is needed for 12 enchiladas.

Here's the original recipe page for more info:
http://www.danispies.com/archives/vegetarian/sweet_potato_and_black_bean_en.php

[Dover]

27. I made these today. What a treat!

Highly recommended!

Now I'm making some more to take to a neighbor who is ill. They are SO delicious and surprisingly easy to make. And now I see why the original author suggested making more ingredients than are needed for the enchiladas. I cut the recipe in half and WISH now I had more leftovers. As it was I used 2 med. potatoes and two cans of beans. It made 12 enchiladas with about a cup of beans left over (I can't wait to add them to an omelet in the morning!).

I had some chili-peach salsa open already so I used that instead of the green salsa in the potato mix (though I used the green salsa for everything else). I also threw in a ripe peach for good measure, and the spices in the recipe.

The beans were easy to prepare. I added some sour cream to them. And another little change was that I used chicken broth rather than veggie broth to dip the tortillas in just because that's what I had on hand.

I found it was easier to roll up the enchiladas if I spread the potato mix around rather than
putting a thick row in the center of it. And then I added the beans in a row down the middle.
And last little change...we had some thin sliced honey-cured ham that we wanted to use up so I made a few enchiladas with that added to it by laying the slice on top of the spread of sweet potatoes, with the row of beans added on top of that and rolled it up.

Oh....can't tell you how good it was. Wish I had a camera cause they were a beautiful sight to behold.



Hippywife: Didn't get to the Dutch Baby pancakes today, unfortunately. But perhaps tomorrow.

[hippywife]

28. Glad that worked out.

I'm real excited to try it. Will have to wait until next week when I do my grocery trip, tho.

[sandnsea]

31. Oh man

That looks delicious. Definitely on the menu this week!

[Dover]

6. Fennel and Sweet Potato Omelet (or salad)

I'm beginning to feel like that fellow in the movie Forest Gump who had the shrimp boat business and described all the various ways to prepare shrimp ad nauseum...lol!


Fennel and Sweet Potato Omelet

Roast in the oven (350 degrees for 20 minutes) - toss them together in a little olive oil before roasting.

1 fennel - bulbs sliced in half
1 peeled sweet potato (large) cut into 1" pieces
1 full garlic bulb with individual cloves peeled (or roast it inside the skin and remove cloves later)
1 turnip peeled, chopped
6 small pearl onions (or use a regular sliced onion or leeks)
4 red chili peppers (size of jalapeno each) sliced long ways with seeds removed.
1/2 red bell pepper sliced.
lemon zest from one lemon

After roasting and cooled to room temp, toss the veggies in an olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing and add salt and pepper. Or you can just use the olive oil and skip the balsamic.

Then add this to your omelets with some goat cheese chunks added in at the last minute and just slightly melted.

To LIVE for!!!
And it makes your house smell like heaven.
This lasts about a week in the frig.

Serve with a V-8 juice or herbal tea.




Also these veggies are great tossed in a salad with arugula leaves and a little balsamic vinegar.
Crumble blue cheese or goat cheese on top. Makes for a hearty salad in the winter months.

[mtnester]

7. Do NOT let H2S see that bottom pic

do NOT...you should have put a warning up that says H2S do NOT scroll down

Bacon....with syrup...on ANY kind of pancake....oh dear god it is manna

[Dover]

8. Too late!

For those more militant health types and others watching their sugar intake (aren't we all?), it might come as a relief to know that syrup on sweet potato pancakes is overkill, unnecessary. They are plenty sweet without it.

As for the bacon, if you MUST have it there are faux types like soy bacon and turkey bacon.

Phew....hope I redeemed myself. I'd hate to think I was responsible for sending someone over the edge! :dilemma:

[mtnester]

11. HAH!

I was teaing you....and bacon and real maple syrup are NEVER overkill...shut your mouth!


I know there are substitutes, but .....sigh...they just are not the same.