Sweet Potato Pancakes Stuffed with Ricotta Cheese

A Jerry James Stone Recipe

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 â…“ cups flour
  • 1 ½ cups milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup ricotta
  • Warmed maple syrup
  • Pecans, chopped
Jump to instructions
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Instructions

  • Peel 1 sweet potato. Now, I usually leave the peels on my potatoes. They say it is more nutritious, but I don't really know for sure. I just love the texture and color they provide in a meal. Don't you just love the color of these things?
  • Wrap it in tinfoil and bake it for about an hour at 400 degrees F in a pre-heated oven. You want it to be very tender.
  • Add 1 1/3 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of baking powder to a sieve and sift it into a large mixing bowl. You can skip this step if you don't have a sieve or you just want to be difficult (I kid!) but I find it just makes the pancakes a wee bit fluffier.
  • Add 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. You could try to sift the brown sugar along with the other ingredients, if you are a masochist.
  • Crack and separate two eggs. I do this just using my hands. There are many tools you can pick up to help with this process and, personally, I think they are a waste of money. Buy yourself a few beers instead and separate your eggs yourself.
  • Whisk the egg yolks and 1 1/2 cups of milk together so they are just combined. You aren't trying to introduce a lot of air into this mixture. We aren't making fluffy scrambled eggs here.
  • Remove the sweet potato from the oven when it's done and rice it. You can also mash with a potato masher or a fork. It's just a personal preference to use a ricer but they are pricey. I rather spend my money on this than the egg separator-and beer!
  • Add the riced sweet potato to the dry mixture, mixing it well.
  • Work in the egg and milk mixture until completely combined using a whisk to make sure there are no floury lumps.
  • Beat the egg whites until they are fluffy and stiff. They should look like little fluffy clouds. Okay, I admit. Sometimes I put them in the palm of my hand and pretend they are. Shhh...don't tell.
  • Fold the clouds egg whites into the sweet potato mixture, but do not overly mix it.
  • In a buttered skillet, over a medium heat, ladle in the sweet potato pancake mixture.
  • When bubbles form on the top and the edges look crispy, flip the cakes.
  • While these are cooking, whisk 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese in a small bowl, giving it a creamier texture and making it easier to spread.
  • When the pancakes are done, layer them with ricotta and top with maple syrup and chopped pecans.