Peel 1 sweet potato. Now, I usually leave the peels on my potatoes. They say it is more nutritious, but I don't really know for sure. I just love the texture and color they provide in a meal. Don't you just love the color of these things?

Wrap it in tinfoil and bake it for about an hour at 400 degrees F in a pre-heated oven. You want it to be very tender.

Add 1 1/3 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of baking powder to a sieve and sift it into a large mixing bowl. You can skip this step if you don't have a sieve or you just want to be difficult (I kid!) but I find it just makes the pancakes a wee bit fluffier.

Add 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. You could try to sift the brown sugar along with the other ingredients, if you are a masochist.

Crack and separate two eggs. I do this just using my hands. There are many tools you can pick up to help with this process and, personally, I think they are a waste of money. Buy yourself a few beers instead and separate your eggs yourself.

Whisk the egg yolks and 1 1/2 cups of milk together so they are just combined. You aren't trying to introduce a lot of air into this mixture. We aren't making fluffy scrambled eggs here.

Remove the sweet potato from the oven when it's done and rice it. You can also mash with a potato masher or a fork. It's just a personal preference to use a ricer but they are pricey. I rather spend my money on this than the egg separator-and beer!

Add the riced sweet potato to the dry mixture, mixing it well.

Work in the egg and milk mixture until completely combined using a whisk to make sure there are no floury lumps.

Beat the egg whites until they are fluffy and stiff. They should look like little fluffy clouds. Okay, I admit. Sometimes I put them in the palm of my hand and pretend they are. Shhh...don't tell.

Fold the clouds egg whites into the sweet potato mixture, but do not overly mix it.

In a buttered skillet, over a medium heat, ladle in the sweet potato pancake mixture.

When bubbles form on the top and the edges look crispy, flip the cakes.

While these are cooking, whisk 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese in a small bowl, giving it a creamier texture and making it easier to spread.

When the pancakes are done, layer them with ricotta and top with maple syrup and chopped pecans.