Making appetizers for a huge holiday meal can seem like overkill. There is already so much food coming, do you really need to feed people before you feed them? I always think you do. There is inevitably that stretch of time when everyone is standing around with a drink while all the last-minute things are happening in the kitchen — the turkey is being carved, the gravy is being finished, the sides are coming out of the oven and somebody suddenly remembers the thing that has been sitting in the refrigerator all day and was supposed to be reheated. A little bite gives everyone something to do, and a drink and a nibble really do grease the wheels of conversation.
And if you are going to serve a little something, make it something this good. These are so over-the-top delicious. The first time I served them, my family were practically pushing each other aside to reach them. Fluffy little sweet potato biscuits, salty-sweet candied bacon with a touch of heat and rich, nutty brown butter spread — there is a lot going on in one little bite, and every bit of it works.
These are perfect for Thanksgiving, a holiday cocktail party or a festive brunch. And if you are not hosting but have been tasked with bringing a little bite, be warned: you might put the rest of the guests to shame when you show up with a platter of these. They look impressive, they taste even better, and they are just the sort of thing people hover around until every last one has disappeared.
There are steps here — quite a lot of them, in fact — but don’t let that put you off. None of the individual components is difficult, and almost everything can be done ahead. Make and cut the sweet potato biscuit dough weeks in advance and freeze the biscuits unbaked. The brown butter spread can be made a few days ahead, and the candied bacon can be prepared the day before. When party day arrives, all that’s left is baking the biscuits, warming the bacon if you like, and a little assembly.
Ingredients
- For the Biscuits
1 large sweet potato, about 12 ounces (to yield 1 cup purée)
½ cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 ¼ teaspoon (1 package) active dry yeast
5 cups soft wheat flour (such as White Lilly)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter
1 ¼ cup cold buttermilk
- For the Brown Butter Spread
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened
1 sprig of fresh sage (optional)
½ teaspoon flaky salt
- For the Bacon
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Generous grinds of black pepper, up to a teaspoon
12 strips of thick cut bacon
Directions
- For the Biscuits
- Prick the sweet potato all over with a skewer or a thin knife. Microwave the potato on high for 12 to 15 minutes until it is very soft when squeezed. Alternately, you can bake the potato in the oven for about an hour. Holding the potato with a folded tea towel, cut it in half and scoop the flesh into a small bowl. Mash the flesh with a fork to a smooth purée. Leave to cool.
- Stir the sugar and warm water (about 105°) together in a small measuring jug. Sprinkle over the yeast and leave for 10 minutes until it is foamy.
- Stir the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl of a stand mixer. Cut the butter into small cubes and add it to the flour. Using the paddle attachment, blend the butter and flour on low speed until the butter is the size of small BBs. You want some butter blended in, but the visible small pieces of butter help make the biscuits fluffy.
- Stir 1 cup of the buttermilk into the potato purée, mixing vigorously to create a smooth liquid. Add this to the flour and butter, add the yeast mixture, and beat on medium speed, just until everything comes together. If the mixture is dry, add a little of the extra buttermilk until the dough comes together.
- Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just a few times to pull everything together. Pat the dough out to a rectangle about an inch thick. Dip a cutter into flour and press it into the dough and pull up (don’t twist the cutter or the sides won’t rise). I like to use a 1-inch square cutter, but you can use round or just use a knife to cut into bite size baby biscuits. Place the cut biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Pat any scraps together and cut out more biscuits. Brush the tops with melted butter
- To make them ahead, roll and cut your biscuits, place them on a baking tray and freeze for an hour or so until solid. Transfer to a ziptop bag with all the air squeezed out. Bake from frozen, increasing the cooking time as needed. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the biscuits almost touching on the sheet. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until firm and lightly browned.
- For the Brown Butter Spread
- Cut one stick of the butter into small pieces and place in a small saucepan (light colored or stainless is best so you can see the butter as it browns). Heat over medium high heat, watching constantly, until the butter is melted. It will start to spit and hiss, then you will see brown speckles appear. Stir the butter to distribute the browned bits, and as soon as the butter has an even brown color and a nice nutty smell, pour it into a measuring jug. Add the sage to the butter if using. Leave to cool, but not solidify.
- When the browned butter has cooled, place the remaining stick of softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the loosen up the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl. With the motor running, drizzle in the browned butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. Add the salt and beat until well blended. Scrape the butter into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for a few hours (or up to three days) to allow the flavors to meld. Return to room temperature before serving.
- For the Bacon
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12 by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with foil for easier clean up. Place a cooling rack on top of the foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Put the sugar, red pepper and black pepper in a wide bowl and mix together with your fingers, breaking up any sugar lumps. Cut the bacon into 2-inch pieces and drop them in the sugar mixture. Coat each piece with the sugar, pressing it firmly into the bacon. Lay each piece on the rack and continue with the rest. Bake the bacon for 15 – 20 minutes until it is browned and crisping at the edges. Remove and let cool on the rack. You can make this one day ahead and place it in a single layer in a container – like sealable airtight box – but cover loosely with a tea towel not touching the bacon and leave on the counter. If you would like, you can crisp the bacon up on a foil lined baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes, but I like the bacon slightly chewy on the biscuits.
- To assemble, split the biscuits and spread a dab of browned butter on one side. Add a square of bacon and top with the other half of the biscuit. Serve immediately.
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