sweet potato pancakes

Sweet potatoes are, in my opinion, one of the most underrated of the vegetables. Sometimes I will forget they exist for maybe even months at a time, then one day I'm reminded of them and I'm so sad that I have abandoned them for so long.

*makes mental note to share the family recipe for sweet potato crunch sometime in the fall*

A couple weeks ago Tim and I went to the beach for the day for some much needed time away from work/slave labor on the house/doing irritating chores. We stopped into a restaurant (The Lost Dog) that we had eaten breakfast in during our honeymoon. I was almost nervous about going back. I mean, it was so good then. I was worried that in my clouded state of euphoria from marrying this wonderful person (and the soul-crushing burden of planning a wedding was finally off my shoulders) that I had remembered the food being better than it actually was. The place is nothing fancy (it's an old laundry mat) and neither is the food, but ohhhh my. This place made me believe in huevos rancheros. It made me re-think everything I thought I knew about quesidillas; and the shrimp and grits...well, you don't want to hear me go on and on about shrimp and grits when I'm supposed to be talking about sweet potatoes. I'll save that for another post. Truth is, I could go on about shrimp and grits for hours. I've decided to think of it more as of a skill than something I should seek professional help about.

Back to the potatoes. This place has daily breakfast specials. It's only open till 3 pm and a lot of the early 20's beach types that hang out there aren't exactly the early rising kind. I'm sure they sit on the beach most of the day, then in the late afternoon after the sun has totally wiped them out they take a long nap, then meet up with their friends to drink beverages and do the other silly things that people in their early 20's do in the summer. Meanwhile, I was at work. Allllll day. It's an interesting feeling to be slightly judgmental and extremely jealous at the same time. More jealous than judgmental, and let's face it, that's important. Oh well. There are lots of family types there too, I just don't happen to be living vicariously through them.

This weeks special was sweet potato pancakes. I was intrigued. However, the nice lady that was serving us informed me that they had sold out. Actually, that they had sold out BEFORE NINE A.M. That's right, NINE. Clearly, I will be renting a room in Charleston, SC on a Friday night sometime in the foreseeable future just to make it in to the Lost Dog in time for sweet potato pancakes. Maybe they only make enough to serve 6 people and this is all a ploy to drive up demand, but it has obviously worked.

In the meantime, I tried to figure this out at home--I was not letting go of this one. It was a success.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 tbs. white sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 c. milk

4 tsp. melted butter

2 eggs

1 medium sweet potato--cooked, peeled and pureed.

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

flavorless oil for greasing the griddle

Combine all ingredients and cook like normal pancakes. Serve with maple syrup.

I forgot to take a picture because I was doing my impression of a bed and breakfast owner this weekend. I'll do better next time.