Alton Brown's nutritious sweet potato waffles have a brown, crisp crust and a light, tender interior, perfect for sopping up maple syrup.

Course: Breakfast

Keyword: Brunch, Entertaining, Fall, Holidays, Sweet Potato Waffles, Thanksgiving

Sweet Potato Waffles

ACTIVE TIME: 15

TOTAL TIME: 45

Yield: 4 (8-inch) waffles

Sweet potatoes possess a balance of moisture, starch, and sugar that makes them ideal for baked goods, especially those requiring considerable surface browning such as waffles.

I humbly suggest serving these with a drizzle of maple syrup (the real thing, Grade A, dark robust taste), toasted pecans, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Both U.S. standard and metric measurements are listed, but for consistently delicious results, go metric.

This recipe first appeared in Season 7 of Good Eats.

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1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 large egg whites, at room temperature

Specialized Hardware

Digital kitchen scale

Steamer basket

Electric hand mixer

Ice cream disher

Waffle iron

ACTIVE TIME: 15

TOTAL TIME: 45

Yield: 4 (8-inch) waffles

Procedure

Place sweet potatoes in a steamer basket and place the basket in a large pot of simmering water. The water should beat least 2 inches from the bottom of the basket. Cover and steam over medium-high heat until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove steamer basket, pour the water out of the pot, and dump the sweet potatoes into the still-hot pot. Mash with a potato masher until mostly smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, butter, and orange zest with a wooden spoon.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and add to the sweet potato mixture. Stir to incorporate, but do not overmix; there should be lumps remaining in the batter.
In a separate bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter one third at a time. The batter will be thick. Using a disher (appropriate to your waffle iron's capacity), dose the batter onto a heated, oiled waffle iron, and cook until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve hot, if you know what's good for you.