The novel Yellow Crocus takes place on an antebellum Virginia Plantation. When I think of food from Virginia, I immediately think of the movie, The American President starring Michael Douglas and Annette Benning. In one of my favorite scenes, the President sends lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade a Virginia ham when he wasn’t able to buy her flowers. Virginia hams, a type of country ham, are typically smoked over oak, hickory, and applewood, then are hung to age in the smokehouse.
Nothing goes better with Virginia Ham than these sweet potato biscuits. The sweetness of the biscuit is the perfect combination with the salt-cured ham. On the Edwards Virginia Smokehouse website, they sell a combo of country ham and sweet potato biscuits with the tagline “Country Ham Biscuits: the ultimate snack of The South.” I couldn’t agree more. It is a Parris family tradition to have country ham biscuits every Christmas morning. I only wish country ham was popular in Texas. I usually have to mail order mine. Even without country ham, these biscuits are great with honey butter.
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biscuits
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- 1 large sweet potato about 14 to 15 ounces
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small bits
Ingredients
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- Peel the sweet potato. Cut into chunks, then boil until tender. Drain.
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425º F.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet with butter, cooking spray or use a Silpat mat.
- In a small bowl, mash together the sweet potato and 1/3 cup milk. Measure 1 cup of the mixture and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the sweet potato mixture and fold gently to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add more milk a little at a time until all the flour is moistened. If it is too moist, add a little more flour.
- Sprinkle a small handful of flour on a work surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead lightly 2 to 3 times with the palm of your hand until the mixture comes together. Pat the dough out into a 1/2-inch-thick round.
- Using a 2 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut the dough into biscuits. Gently reroll the scraps and cut out more biscuits. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake until light golden brown and firm to the touch, 12 to 14 minutes.