Felita Bunn’s grandma, Martha Sample, grew up on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The Eastern Shore is a peninsula;  a 70 mile stretch of land that divides the Atlantic Ocean from the Chesapeake Bay. Martha, a housewife, a housekeeper and an amazing cook, was married to Clifton Perry Sample, a farmer who grew and sold lots of fruits and vegetables. Among the crop on his nine acres of land, affectionately named “Bacon Hill”, he grew strawberries, watermelons, peas, turnip greens, and Virginia’s infamous “sweet” potatoes. There were several staple potato dishes, however, Felita’s front-runners are her grandmother’s delicious hot and crisp sweet potato biscuits drizzled with butter. Felita shares this number one pick with nostalgia and pride.

felita's eastern shore sweet potato biscuits

Ingredients:

• ½ cup shortening
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups hot mashed sweet potatoes

Instructions:

Step 1 – Boil the potatoes before mashing them.

Step 2 – Mix mashed sweet potatoes with shortening and salt.  Let cool. 

Step 3 – Add flour, sugar, and baking powder.

Step 4 – If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour sparingly. 

Step 5 – Roll out on floured board and cut with floured biscuit cutter. 

Step 6 - Bake in 450-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with plenty of butter.