Cliff's Deep Dish Sweet Potato Cobbler

I grew up eating sweet potato pie. But it wasn't until my junior year of college that I had a taste of true sweet potato bliss! Sweet potato cobbler is a dessert like none other. While I was watching "How Ugly Is He?," the ninth episode in the first season, I was so glad to see Cliff's gutsy attempt at this little-known dessert. It complemented Cliff's Salisbury steak, red beans and rice, and turnip greens. (I covered this meal in a previous post.)

Cliff displaying his cobbler in a scene from S1E9.

It's layered with tender, medallion-shaped sliced sweet potatoes and topped with a creamy, crunchy crust. I don't blame Cliff for making this treat...it's the perfect ending to a not-so-perfect dinner date. The recipe and pictures of my attempt at Cliff's Deep Dish Sweet Potato Cobbler are below!

CLIFF'S DEEP DISH SWEET POTATO COBBLER, 6-8 servings

*I used an round 8" diameter baking dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cobbler Mix:

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk (I used almond milk)

Sweet Potato Mixture:

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

1.5 cups water

1 good squeeze of maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

a shake of cloves

a shake of nutmeg

Sweet potato prep:

1. Put sweet potatoes in boiling pot of water (enough water so that the whole, uncooked sweet potatoes are fully submerged). 
2. Let the sweet potatoes boil for about 10 minutes.
3. Carefully remove them, let them cool, and remove the skin. 
4. You can peel with your hands, a peeler, or a knife. (I burnt my fingers, so be careful!) 
5. Chop the sweet potatoes into rounds, 1/3"-rounds.
6. Put the rounds back into boiling water for another 10-12 minutes. They should be uniformly orange and somewhat firm (but not too mushy). 

Sweet potatoes boiling for a second time.

While that's boiling for a second time...

1. Melt your butter.

2. Pour melted butter into a deep baking dish. 

3. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and milk. Mix...but not too much. 
4 Pour half of the mixture into the cooking dish with the butter. 
5. Don't stir the butter and cobbler batter while it's in your dish.

In another mixing bowl...

1. Combine brown sugar, water, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. Carefully remove your sweet potato rounds and coat them in the brown sugar mixture.

3. Slowly pour your sweet potato mixture into your dish. 
4. Make sure that your have a few flat layers of sweet potato; rearrange your sweet potatoes without stirring around too much.

5. Top the dish with the rest of your cobbler mix.

It should look something like this before going into the oven.

Place into your preheated oven. Cook for 45 minutes on the middle rack. Serve warm—maybe even with ice cream!

The finished product!

Sweet Potato Cobbler adopted, with creative changes, from Diana Rattray.