Before you turn your nose up (like the mister did) you should know that these biscuits are, to put it plainly, simply fabulous. They are great alone - with butter - ooh my! And they also pair nicely with all kinds of sweet or savory fillings, like sloppy joes...or think Thanksgiving and layer them with roasted turkey and cranberries...or hot mustard and chicken...or clotted cream and strawberry jam...you will be limited only by your imagination...this is a "keeper" recipe! LIke I said, the mister, yet again, was not impressed. What he didn't like was the little "kick" these biscuits offer...a little kick of Cayenne...I should have left it out for his sake but if anybody needs a KICK it's the mister!
When I return from a trip it usually takes me a day or two to get everything back to normal - and so it is...the mister spent some quality time with his good friend Jack last night then came home to change the channel about every 8 seconds until he landed on the History Channel where he found a program about the Vietnam war...so he took a stroll down memory lane and I took my sleeping pill. Yep, things are back to normal! So when I tell you the high spot of my evening was a sweet potato biscuit with sloppy joe (recipe is below) mix on top, well, I'm not just typing letters!
Sweet-Potato Biscuits - Adapted from Country Living Magazine, March 2009
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 sweet potato (10 oz.), peeled and cubed
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold buttermilk
3 cups flour, sifted
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, unless you're married to a caveman too!)
Heat oven to 475 degrees. Cut the butter into small cubes and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. Place the sweet potato in a microwave-proof dish with 3 tablespoons water, cover, and cook on high until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Mash and refrigerate to cool. Stir in the buttermilk. Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, or your fingers, until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, working quickly to avoid warming the butter. Stir in the sweet potato-buttermilk using a wooden spoon just until the dough begins to form. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 3 to 4 turns to combine. Pat the dough into a 7x10-inch rectangle and cut out biscuits using a 3-inch cutter (gather scraps together until all the dough has been used). Place 2 inches apart on a baking pan and bake on the top shelf of the oven 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 biscuits.
The Aussie stopped by just as I started to make the Sloppy Joes so I didn't get any pictures - but you all know what Sloppy Joes look like, right? We were too busy sipping our Diet Cokes and catching up so I just forgot! I had doubled the batch of biscuits so when The Aussie left I loaded her up with some, gave her the recipe for the Sloppy Joes and she made this for her tribe for dinner. The next day she emailed to say,"Our sloppy joes last night were good and those scones were FABO - Cheers."
This really is a great Sloppy Joe recipe - and tens times better than MANWICH!
Sloppy Joes - Adapted From Country Living Magazine
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dry hot mustard
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (14.5 oz.) can beef broth
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
8 sweet potato biscuits
Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the meat and set aside, then drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add the onion and garlic, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 more minutes. Stir in the chili powder, mustard, paprika, salt, and ginger and cook for 1 more minute. Add the broth, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and reserved meat. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for 25 minutes. Serve with Sweet Potato Biscuits or over rice or with hamburger buns. Serves 8.
"Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world." ~ Annie Lennox
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One year ago today: Coconut Macaroons
