In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Stir in the egg yolks, buttermilk and sage all at once. Let the batter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they can hold a stiff peak. Fold egg whites into the sage batter.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the skillet to make small pancakes. Flip when bubbles appear on the surface and cook until light brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining batter. Add more oil to the skillet if needed. Sprinkle Romano cheese over the pancakes while still warm.