MARTHA STEWART'S SWEET-POTATO BISCUITS

The next time Wal-Mart has sweet potatoes for $.17/lb (probably in November), buy a bunch. Bake them in the oven, scoop out the pulp and freeze it in 1/2 cup measures. Then you'll be ready for all kinds of sweet potato recipes, such as this one.

I'm not a huge biscuit fan. Oh, I like them just fine. It's my hips that don't. Biscuits are loaded with fat -- that's why they're so tender and delicious. But these are a bit lower in fat and are still light, fluffy, tender and, yes, delicious.

This is a great recipe that can be enjoyed all year round. It makes up quickly and easily, no fuss, no muss. Martha made hers plain, but I added raisins. I ate one biscuit at tea time in the afternoon, then froze the rest. The next morning I took one out of the freezer when I got up, wrapped it in tinfoil and placed it in a 400F oven for about 15 minutes and had it with scrambled eggs. (If you're a microwave fan, you could nuke it, but the texture changes, and you're destroying all food cells.)

Martha Stewart's Sweet-Potato Biscuits, Adapted

Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup canned or fresh-cooked sweet potatoes, drained and mashed, chilled

1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup raisins

1-3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and shaping

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (my addition)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

6 Tbsp. chilled, unsalted butter, cut into pieces + 2 tsp. melted butter

Heat oven to 425F, and place oven rack on bottom third of oven. Spray an 8" cake pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. In medium bowl, combine first three ingredients; set aside.

In work bowl of food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, & baking soda. Pulse a few times to mix. Add butter and pulse several times, in quick, short motions, to incorporate until butter is size of small peas. Do not overprocess -- you should be able to see bits of butter. Add the sweet potato mixture all at once and process again in quick, short motions until a dough forms.

With floured hands, take dough out of work bowl and place onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat into a 7" round. Cut out circles with a 2" cutter and gently push ends of dough in so that re-rolling will not be necessary. Lay the circles of dough in the pan -- you should get about 7 (6 around the outside edges and one in the middle). Brush tops with melted butter. Bake until golden, 18 - 22 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted in center returns clean.