Give Southern Dumplings A Sweet And Cozy Twist With This Ingredient

When you're in need of a hearty, belly-warming meal, nothing beats a steaming bowl of savory chicken and dumplings. While some favor the rich and creamy broth laden with vegetables and shredded chicken, most of us enjoy this traditional dish primarily for the soft, doughy biscuits served on top. That being said, if you're looking for a new creative way to prepare Southern-style dumplings without the soup, consider stuffing your next batch with sweet potatoes.

Sweet potato-stuffed dumplings are a delicious way to transform flat or drop-style dumplings into a stand-alone sweet and savory side dish. Especially if you're on the hunt for more delicious foods to bring to Southern-style potlucks, sweet potato stuffed dumplings are just as satisfying as deviled eggs and classic macaroni and cheese. Not to mention, these unique snacks are super easy to make. All you need is a batch of classic pie or dumpling dough and frozen, pre-cut sweet potatoes or yam patties.

While you can certainly prepare your dough from scratch with flour, water, and optional butter, you can also use refrigerated biscuit or crescent dough. Since pre-made dough easily serves as the go-to canned shortcut for ridiculously easy chicken and dumplings, there's no reason you can't use this ingredient to prepare a delicious batch of stuffed dumplings. Fortunately, once you have your dough in hand, in just a few more easy steps, you'll have a delicious batch of sweet potato dumplings to enjoy.

If you're working with crescent dough and yam patties, cut each patty and each portion of crescent dough in half. When rolling the dough around each halved patty, leave a small amount of sweet potato exposed on both sides of every dumpling. Conversely, if you're working with homemade dough, form a bunch of small, flat rounds and fill your dough with halved sweet potato patties or pre-cut frozen sweet potatoes. Then, pinch each dumpling closed on all sides. Better yet, follow chef Andrew Zimmerman's simple tip for keeping homemade dumplings from bursting by using just enough filling for each piece of dough.

Once all your dumplings have been rolled and placed in a shallow baking dish, cover them with a homemade glaze for an extra flavorful bite. Simply heat sugar, butter, a bit of cornstarch, and your choice of liquid until warm, and then pour the mixture over your dumplings before baking. Try adding water, milk, or evaporated milk for a richer, more creamy end result. A few warming spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove, will add to the cozy flavor. For an even crispier bite, you can fry these sweet potato dumplings in a cast-iron skillet with oil.

Serve sweet potato dumplings alongside your next roasted ham or turkey around the holidays. You can also add them to your weeknight meal rotation, like roasted chicken or pan-fried steak with green beans. Better yet, enjoy chilled leftovers with a scoop of Greek yogurt first thing in the morning.