Bite of the Best

What it is: A-just-add-water pancake mix containing beta-carotene rich sweet potatoes How it comes: 6-ounce and 1.5-pound bag Where it is: At brucesyamsbrand.com/pancake-mix.html and Amazon.com Who it's for: Anyone wanting a tasty vegetable in their pancakes Suggested retail price: $1.39 to $1.89; $4.49 to $4.99 Nutrition notes: A good source of vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate and iron Category: Fabulous Food: Oldies but worth touting

Bonnie: Eric’s friend Mike Rakiec reminded us of these sweet potato pancakes when he recommended them on the site as a Bite of the Best.

”I would like to suggest a brand of sweet potato pancakes that I have tasted at the Leblang residence. They were the tastiest pancakes I have ever tried. I don’t recall the company who makes them, however. Maybe Bonnie can help me with this one.”

Mike — like many of the boys’ friends — was subjected to testing new products when he visited our home. That has involved a lot of products, since I’ve been testing and writing weekly about new foods for Supermarket Sampler since the ‘80s. The kids’ friends were my focus groups — so to speak — over the years, giving me fun fodder to write about.

At the time Eric was in middle school, I recall giving them bottles of Mistic Jumpin’ Gems to taste test, as Eric and his friends were in the product’s target age group. (These drinks were also sold as Orbitz Natural Fruit Flavored Beverage.) This — one of the weirdest beverages — contained pink gelatinous pieces suspended in the liquid. I, for sure, found it appalling, but would they? I found the answer in my sink.

My sink full of little pink rubbery balls, that is. You see, after the novelty wore off (in one sip). they cleverly poured the liquid through a strainer into a glass, discarding the pink pieces into the sink. Probably why the product never made it big.

Let’s get back to Mike and those nutritious, delicious and easy-to-make sweet potato pancakes. To make the pancakes, just add water to the mix, let stand for 5 minutes to rehydrate the dehydrated sweet potatoes and cook on a hot griddle — just as you would any pancake.

Two pancakes are a good source of a vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, the soluble B vitamin folate and iron, and contains 2 grams of fiber. To keep them really nutritious, I suggest not using too much fat when frying and going lightly on the real maple syrup.

And Mike, you’re welcome anytime for pancakes!

Bryan: I’m a bit of a cause-head when it comes to Epicurean matters. I’ve been accused of proselytizing to no end over foods I believe the entire world should rejoice in; I simply cannot sleep at night knowing my brethren aren’t enjoying the best spoils of our planet. My recommendations can vary widely,from where to get the best cheeseburgers (an epic NYC toss-up between Big Nick’s on Broadway and The Shake Shack in Madison Square Park) to where to get the best eclectic regional cuisines; scrapple at Little Pete’s off Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. If you are a breakfast fan and have not heard of or tried scrapple, please read more and don’t judge without tasting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple).

Of course, my recommendations go from restaurants, dishes and products, right down to basic ingredients. Behold the sweet potato; an unjustly overlooked cousin to one of our most common foods: the potato. My brother and I have often waxed on and on about the merits of the sweet potato. I’ve gone as far as to say that it should be on most restaurant menus, but have resigned myself to be pleasantly surprised when I find it anywhere. Since my first introduction to sweet potatoes at the Thanksgiving table long ago, I’ve yearned for exposures beyond the mashed variety. Sweets really can substitute for regular potatoes in a variety of recipes, adding a unique twist to traditional favorites. One of its most satisfying appearances is as a big plate of fries with just a dash of cinnamon. Bake them. Fry them. Boil and mash them. Their great flavors elevate common dishes.

Bruce’s Sweet Potato Pancake Mix is a another great tasty twist on a common dish. I really enjoy potato pancakes with a bit of sour cream or applesauce, and I also really enjoy traditional pancakes (the American breakfast with butter and syrup). Bruce’s mix falls closer to the traditional pancake side of the spectrum with some serious added flavor and health attributes (high fiber and vitamins, low fat). Water is the only ingredient needed, heat a pan and breakfast is served. These are incredibly tasty, easy to make and have the subtle taste of sweet potatoes, one of life’s hidden jewels!

Eric: Pancakes. What a word. The mere sound of it makes me hungry. I am a glutton for pancakes but strangely enough I don’t find myself to be a breakfast fan, and still prefer a cup of coffee instead of any of the infamous lumberjack breakfast items. While growing up, I remember the cold winter mornings when the mountain of pancakes — oddly enough formed from Mickey Mouse and snowman characters — would would seem endless. It was topped by a 70:30 butter-to-syrup ratio, and I would eat until the batter was gone. One of my greatest pancake memories is the taste of the plate-size, 1/4-inch-thick mammoths that came from the skillet of Kitchen Little in Mystic, CT. The name says it all, because the restaurant can only seat 23 people in its 400 square foot space. But the food that comes out of the kitchen is anything but little, especially the pancakes.

I remember sitting with my friend Mike the first time we ate Bruce’s Sweet Potato Pancakes and watching the amazement on his face when I told him he was eating something healthy (and not just delicious). The pancakes themselves cannot rival the IHOP’s and “Kitchen Little’s” of this world, but they do provide a tasty, and unrecognizable healthy twist to your breakfast.