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.

To make the puree, just scoop the soft flesh out of the skin and mash with a fork.

To make the pancakes, melt 3 tablespoons butter and set aside to cool.

Set a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 200 degrees F. Preheat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, spices, and salt.

In a medium bowl, use a fork to beat the sweet potato puree with the eggs. Fold in milk and yogurt.

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.

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.

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!