BAKED HONEY HAM ON SWEET POTATO BISCUITS WITH BLACKBERRY-BALSAMIC DRIZZLE

Baked Honey Ham on Sweet Potato Biscuits with Blackberry-Balsamic Drizzle image

Provided by Jeff Mauro, host of Sandwich King

Time 1h40m

Yield 14 biscuits

Number Of Ingredients 19

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Ingredients

1 pound sweet potatoes (2 to 3 potatoes)
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, small diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
14 slices baked honey ham (or your favorite ham), torn into pieces to fit the biscuits
Blackberry Balsamic Drizzle, recipe follows
Arugula, for serving
One 12 to 13-ounce jar blackberry preserves
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, stems and all
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup yellow mustard, such as French's
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 serrano chile, split in half

Steps:

For the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Poke the sweet potatoes with the tines of a fork and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let the potatoes cool, and then peel them, discarding the skins.
In a food processor, puree the potatoes with the buttermilk and nutmeg until smooth.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. With your fingertips or a dough cutter, cut in the cold butter until pea-size chunks are formed. Fold in the sweet potato puree until just combined, being careful not to overwork.
Dust a work surface with some flour and turn the biscuit dough onto the counter. Form the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick disc. Using a 2 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out 14 biscuits, starting on the outside of the disk and working your way in. You may need to reshape the last bits of dough back into a disk to get all 14 rounds.
Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with the vegetable oil and place the biscuits in the skillet, working from the center out. The biscuits should be a tight fit and nestled against each other. Brush the biscuit tops with the melted butter and bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes.
For the sandwich build: Split the hot biscuits, place some of the torn ham on the bottom half, drizzle the Blackberry Balsamic Drizzle over the ham and then pile some arugula on top for a peppery bite.
Combine the preserves, basil, vinegar, mustard, peppercorns and chile in a medium saucepot on the stove. Set over medium heat. Simmer the sauce until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. Strain the reduction through a fine sieve. Thin with water if needed.