Those of you who follow my Instagram (@eat.your.vegetables.blog) may have noticed I've been doing some recipe testing recently. I made these Sweet Potato Hotcakes a couple of weeks ago and realised that I was onto a winner. Only catch, I hadn't written a damn thing down! I wasn't sure if I could replicate it or give a reasonably accurate recipe for y'all, my loyal followers. So a couple of lucky friends got to come over and be my taste-testers while I tried out the recipe for a second time. 

I reckon I've got things pretty spot on although, as always, recipes are just guidelines so if you're feeling a different vibe: GO FOR IT. You do you sweetie. 

This recipe will do 4-6 people depending on how hungry you are. Now, how hungry are you? Don't ask me, I'm not your Mum. Here's the damn recipe.

Sweet Potato & Ricotta Hotcakes

Ingredients

300g Sweet Potato
500g Plain Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
4 Eggs, separated
2 C Milk
250g Ricotta
1tsp Vanilla Bean Paste (it's a thousand-ty percent nicer than extract/essence and waaaay cheaper than real beans)

Method

Peel and roughly dice the sweet potato. Microwave until soft, around 4ish minutes. You could also boil it/steam it/bake it/whatever. When it's soft, blitz it up using a stick blender/food processor/masher/whatever. Basically you just need to turn your raw sweet potato in a cooked puree. I really couldn't give a fuck how you achieve that, just git her done.

Combine the dry ingredients. Lightly whisk the egg yolks with the vanilla and milk then mix it in with the sweet potato. Add to the flour, whisking to avoid lumps. You may need to add a little more milk depending on the water content of your sweet potato. You want it to be a thick batter, but not solid. Use your eyeballs and make a judgement call; I trust you.

Fold through the ricotta, allowing some streaks and small lumps to remain. You can tell your friends that this is RUSTIC and HIP. 

Whisk the egg whites in a beautifully  to soft peak and then gently (GENTLY) fold through the batter. This will help to keep the hotcakes airy and fluffy so for fucks sake DO NOT over mix it.

Warm a large non-stick pan on medium/low heat. Because the batter is thick you need them to cook slowly. If your pan is too hot you'll have crispy edges and raw centres and nobody wants that. You'll need to cook them in batches, keeping them warm on a plate under a clean tea towel or just stick them on a tray in the oven on the lowest setting. 

Melt a little butter in the pan and dollop in spoonfuls of mix with some space between. Let them gently brown for a few minutes until you see those tiny bubbles appearing on the surface and then you'll know that they're ready to flip. A few more minutes to brown on the other side and then they're done.

What Should I Put On My Hotcakes?

Great question! Whatever you want, again, I'm not your Mum. BUT if you're lacking in inspiration here are some ideas:

• Throw some frozen berries in a small pot with a good slurp of maple syrup. Simmer on low heat until the berries are warm and the syrup is sticky. If you have some blackberries frozen from when you went out picking them in summer you may feel extra smug about yourself.
  

• Put a dollop of Nutella on your hotcakes and stack them up with sliced banana. Ain't nothing smug about this combo, but it'll still taste goooooood.
  

• Gently soften some apple slices in a pan with butter, add a spoon of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Add some berries for extra delicious smugness.

Astonishingly there were leftovers so I CAN CONFIRM that they are excellent warmed up the next day with some maple syrup.

Try This Recipe And Then Tell Me About It!

Seriously, do it. I believe in you. Pics or it didn't happen.