Sweet Potato Biscuits

There's so much talk these days about the benefits of sweet potatoes in your diet.  There's also so much talk today about how carbs are terrible for you.  Here is a recipe I ran across and enjoyed over the weekend.  It is a classic mountain recipe and contry to its very core.  The recipe is simple and if you do as most mountain cooks and use self-rising flour, you can make these biscuits with three ingredients:  butter, 1 cup of sweet potato casserole, and self-rising flour.  The biscuit is a treasure amongst biscuits and potatoes.  You will want to serve them as I did with fresh butter and linn (basswood) or sourwood honey will do for breakfast, dinner, or supper. 

You can make them with 1 cup of leftover sweet potato casserole.  They take about 15 minutes. 

Sweet potato casserole:
1 cup cooked mashed sweet potatoes
1 tablesppon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

For the biscuits:
3 tablespoons butter plus 1/4 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teasponns baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sweet potato casserole

Step 1:
If preparing the sweet potato casserole, combine the mashed sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon (my husband doesn't like cinnamon, so I leave this part out)
Step 2:
Preheat the overn to 400 degrees F and melt 3 tablespoon of butter in an 8 X 8 inch baking tin.
Step 3:
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut the 1/4 cup butter and then the sweet potato into the flour mixture.  On a floured surface, knead the dough.  Pat out to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness and cut into 2 inch round biscuits.  Place the biscuits in the baking pan with the butter.
Step 4:
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until brown on the edges.  To check for doneness, break a biscuit open an dsee that the dough is cooked in the center-- not wet and doughy.  Broil 1 minute to brown the tops.

As a healthy alternative, you can omit the 3 tablespoons of butter from the pan.  Dust the pan or bottom of biscuits with flour.  If you are concerned about saturated fats, replace the 1/4 cup butter with canola oil.  Cut the salt.