Salli Lagrones Sweet Potato Biscuits Food

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place a large cast-iron skillet in the oven to preheat.
• Combine the self-rising flour, salt and apple pie spice in a food processor with several pulses. Drop in 1 cup cold butter cubes and pulse until pea-sized crumbs are formed in the flour. Dump this flour mixture into a large bowl. Process the sweet potato flesh in the same food processor bowl until mashed. Pour in 1 cup of the buttermilk and pulse until a smooth puree is formed. Scrape the potato mixture into the mixing bowl. Use your hands to gently pull the flour into the potato mixture, adding more buttermilk as needed to reach a moist dough. Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and press into a 1-inch-thick square. Cut out 16 square biscuits with a bench scraper, re-rolling scraps as necessary.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl in the microwave.
• Remove the skillet from the oven and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully place the biscuits in the skillet (it's okay if they touch). Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter. Place the skillet back in the oven.
• Bake the biscuits until fluffy and lightly golden on top, 16 to 18 minutes. Serve warm with butter and honey.

SO-CAL SWEET POTATO AND POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• If you have a gas burner, roast the poblano peppers over the open flame, turning occasionally with tongs, until the peppers are well charred all over, about 4 minutes. If you do not have a gas burner, halve the peppers lengthwise, place them in a baking pan and broil them in a preheated broiler, skin-side up, until well charred. Place the charred peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. Peel, stem and deseed the peppers, then cut into strips.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Stir together the cream, salt, lime zest, cumin and garlic in a bowl.
• Peel the sweet potatoes and russet potatoes and thinly slice them with a mandoline (about 1/4-inch thick).
• Arrange half of the russet potatoes in the buttered baking dish. Top with half of the sliced poblanos, then half of the sweet potatoes. Top with half of the cream mixture and 1/3 cup Cotija. Repeat with the remaining ingredients (potatoes, poblanos, sweet potatoes, cream and the remaining 2/3 cups Cotija) and press down firmly to submerge the potatoes as much as possible.
• Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until the potatoes are tender, the liquid has absorbed, and the top is browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes more.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

SALLI LAGRONE'S SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat. In a small bowl, combine melted butter and strip of orange rind; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, ginger, and grated zest. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut chilled butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
• Make a well in the center, and add sweet potato. Using a fork, stir in the sweet potato. Add buttermilk, and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
• Lightly dust dough with flour. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently six to eight times.
• On a clean work surface, pat out the dough to a 1/2-inch thickness. Using a floured 1 1/2-inch or 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuits as close together as possible. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. The scraps may be patted out again once more. Prick the tops of each biscuit a few times. Brush the tops with the reserved orange-flavored butter. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes for the small biscuits and 20 to 25 minutes for the large biscuits.

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

Steps:

• Make the biscuits: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap the sweet potato tightly in foil and bake until tender enough for a knife to go in with no resistance, 45 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Scoop out 6 ounces/175 grams of cooked sweet potato flesh (about ¾ cup). (The sweet potato can be baked in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.) Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Working quickly, rub or cut the cold butter into the dry mixture using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the butter pieces are the size of peas. (Alternatively, use a food processor and pulse the dry ingredients with the butter to cut in the butter.)
• Add the scallions and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Cut the cooked sweet potato into ½-inch chunks and drop into the bowl, tossing gently to coat with flour so that the pieces stay separated. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. Use a wooden spoon to stir until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface.
• Roll the dough into an 11-by-7-inch rectangle. Use a floured spatula to lift one end of the dough and fold over one-third of the rectangle. Fold the other end over the top as if folding a letter. You should end up with a rectangular piece of folded dough. Lightly flour the surface of the dough and roll again into a 12-by-6-inch rectangle. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 (2-by-3-inch) rectangles. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 ½ inches apart.
• Bake until biscuits are golden brown and cooked through, rotating the pan about halfway through, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving warm.
• While the biscuits bake, make the honey butter, if you like: In a small bowl, combine the butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and salt. Add the honey, and use a fork to cut the ingredients into the butter until incorporated and smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and serve with the warm biscuits. The butter can be covered and refrigerated for up to 7 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips, blend in 10 tablespoons chilled butter pieces until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk, and mix until dough holds together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly until smooth. Roll out the dough to a 1/2-inch thickness, and cut into rounds using a 2-inch biscuit cutter.
• Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet. Prick the tops with a fork, and brush with melted butter. Bake until just lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer biscuits to a wire rack to cool.

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in the shortening until pieces of shortening are pea-sized or smaller. Mix in the sweet potatoes, and enough of the milk to make a soft dough.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and roll or pat out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into circles using a biscuit cutter or a drinking glass. Place biscuits 1 inch apart onto a greased baking sheet.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.