Sweet Potato Pancakes

In an effort to offer its made-from-scratch mountain South cuisine to even more fans, Asheville-based Tupelo Honey Cafe will open five new locations in the next year. Cities preparing for a grand opening include Raleigh, North Carolina, in the fall of 2014, followed by Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Arlington and Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Atlanta, Georgia in 2015. Each restaurant will feature Tupelo Honey favorites created by Executive Chef Brian Sonoskus including Brian’s shrimp and grits and sweet potato pancakes. The restaurant currently operates seven successful locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

1 large sweet potato
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups buttermilk
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp. tupelo honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Wrap the sweet potato in foil and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Peel the cooled sweet potato, place in a medium bowl, and mash. Add the honey, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Add the sweet potato mixture to the pancake batter, combining well, and let the batter stand for 1 hour. Heat a skillet over medium heat and ladle the batter in batches, 1/2 cup at a time, cooking the pancakes until browned on each side. Serve with the peach butter and spiced pecans. Serves 4.