Sweet Potato Pancakes with Fried Sage and Goat Cheese

We’ve partnered with OXO to bring you an autumnal brunch spread featuring tender sweet potato pancakes topped with fried sage leaves and crumbled goat cheese, served alongside perfectly made pour-over coffee.

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My Saturday morning priorities have gone totally awry. Where I once slept in, took a leisurely trip to the farmers market, and cooked up a pile of pancakes, I now wake up early, help my daughters locate various items of sports equipment, and get started on errands and to-do lists.

But with the onset of chilly weather and cozy times ahead, I’m rededicating myself to making time for relaxed weekend brunches. The fundamentals are simple enough: fluffy pancakes, real maple syrup, and a warm mug of pour-over coffee.

Sweet Potato Pancakes: Perfect for Fall

I find that the best fall breakfasts center on seasonal ingredients and, ideally, involve maple syrup. These sweet potato pancakes, made with roasted mashed sweet potatoes, ginger, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg, hit all the right notes. They fry up fluffy, with a crisp, golden exterior and a tender crumb. I love the coziness of their pumpkin spice profile, but opted to complicate the flavors just a bit with crispy, butter-fried sage leaves and crumbled goat cheese. The overall effect is delightful – crispy fried sage, sprinkled on top, lends a surprising, delicious pop of flavor, while the tang of the cheese balances the honeyed tones of maple syrup and sweet potato. Consider these sweet potato pancakes the perfect fall breakfast.

The folks at OXO sent me their new Precision Batter Dispenser to try out, and it made cooking up a big batch of pancakes a cinch. The silicone spout drops just the right amount of batter directly into the pan, saving me the hassle of endless batter drips and drops all over my stove and counter.

Perfecting the Pour-Over

About the coffee – for a while, I didn’t get the pour-over hype. But now that I’ve perfected my brew at home, I’m a believer. Pour-over requires just a couple of essentials: a good cone coffee dripper and a long-necked kettle for precise pouring. I love the clean look and functionality of the OXO Brew Glass Pour-Over Set, with its insulated double-walled glass carafe and functional dripper with a rubber bottom to help it stay in place. The ease, exactitude, and super fast boiling time of the OXO Brew Adjustable Temperature Pour-Over Kettle is an ideal way to ensure water is at just the right temp for your brew. The kettle also keeps water at a constant temperature while you make your pour-over.

A burr grinder and a scale are also great pour-over accessories to have. A burr grinder lets you have freshly ground, evenly sized coffee grounds that makes for consistent, better tasting coffee. The OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder is fully adjustable (with 15 grind sizes) and has one touch grinding. Lastly, a kitchen scale lets you get your coffee ratios exactly right so you can make a perfect pour-over every time.

Notes on the Recipe

These sweet potato pancakes are made with roasted sweet potatoes. For easier mornings, consider roasting the potatoes ahead of time. I tend to roast 3 or 4 at a time as part of my meal prep routine so I can reheat one for a quick lunch (or batch of pancakes). A much faster option is to peel and steam the potatoes, though roasting imparts superior flavor.

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Fried Sage and Crumbled Goat Cheese

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Sweet potato roasting time

1 hr

Total Time

35 mins

 

An autumnal sweet potato pancake recipe topped with fried sage leaves and crumbled goat cheese.

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Keyword: sweet potato pancakes

Makes: 4 servings

Author: Elizabeth Stark

Ingredients

Pancakes

• 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for frying
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt

Toppings

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 10 large sage leaves
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

1. Working ahead of time, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scrub sweet potatoes and poke skin all over with a fork. Cover potatoes tightly in foil, set on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until they are quite soft to the touch, 60 - 75 minutes (bigger sweet potatoes may take longer). Once cooled, store potatoes wrapped in foil in the fridge until you need them.
2. To make the puree, just scoop the soft flesh out of the skin and mash with a fork.
3. To make the pancakes, melt 3 tablespoons butter and set aside to cool.
4. Set a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 200 degrees F. Preheat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat.
5. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, spices, and salt.
6. In a medium bowl, use a fork to beat the sweet potato puree with the eggs. Fold in milk and yogurt.

7. Fold wet ingredients into dry, mixing just until well combined. Fold in the cooled melted butter.

8. Add a pat of butter to the skillet and swirl. Pour or ladle in about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook until golden, 2 - 3 minutes per side, then flip and cook 2 - 3 minutes more. Set cooked pancakes on baking sheet in the oven. Add small pats of butter as needed, and continue cooking all of the pancakes. Adjust heat as needed to prevent smoking.
9. When all of the pancakes have cooked, wipe out the hot skillet and add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Tilt pan so butter pools in a distinct area. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, add sage leaves to the butter pool and fry 30 - 60 seconds or until leaves are crisp but still green. Set on paper towels to cool.
10. Serve pancakes stacked with a tablespoon of crumbled goat cheese and 2 or 3 sage leaves on top. Drizzle with maple syrup and dig in!