Twice Baked Sweet Potato
Serves: 6Course: Side Dishes
Diet: Vegetarian
Season(s): Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 6 medium sweet potatoes, all about the same size
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 ounces creamy ingredient*
- 1 teaspoon seasoning**
- salt & pepper to taste***
- toppings****
Instructions
This recipe gives the technique for twice baked sweet potatoes but how you season them is up to you and something you can change each time you make them.
Technique
Preheat oven to 375° F. Scrub sweet potatoes to clean them of dirt then arrange them on a rimmed pan. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the top (only) of the sweet potatoes. Bake for an hour or until soft. Remove from oven and set aside just until cool enough to handle.
Slice open the tops of the sweet potatoes and spoon out the flesh into a mixing bowl, being careful to not puncture or tear the potato skins. Reserve the skins.
Add the butter, creamy ingredient, seasoning, salt and pepper to the bowl of sweet potato and mash and mix until it is combined and has a smooth consistency (or a little lumpy if you like texture). Spoon the mixture back into the skins, arrange the sweet potatoes on a baking pan, and return them to the 375° F oven to bake for another 15 minutes. If you have a topping, like marshmallows or grated cheese, that will benefit from browning, remove the tray from the oven, add the topping, and put the tray back in under the broiler for a minute or two. Keep an eye on it the whole time since the topping can go from golden to charred very quickly!
Seasoning
* The creamy ingredient can be 4 oz of cream cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt or 1/4 cup of heavy cream or rich nut milk
** The seasoning could be pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger), smoky southwestern spices (chipotle chili, cumin, coriander, oregano), Indian spices (curry powder, garam masala) or whatever you come up with. A pre-mixed spice blend might be the easiest approach but you can certainly use individual herbs and spices and adjust the blend (and quantity) to taste.
*** Be mindful of where salt and spice will be added via cheese, spice blends or toppings and add salt and black pepper accordingly.
**** Pair pumpkin spice seasoning with a toasted mini marshmallow topping or toasted pecans. Go savory with chopped, sauteed shallots and melted cheese (smoked Gouda would be good). Add a spoonful of sour cream and sliced olives and chives for a southwestern take. Top curry seasoning with a drizzle of yogurt and chopped fresh herbs. Create Thanksgiving 2.0 with a spoonful of stuffing, a drizzle of gravy and a dollop of cranberry sauce.
How do you #eatdowntoearth?
Tag us in photos of the dishes you have cooked with your farmers' market finds using #eatdowntoearth and we will feature you in our feed!
On Instagram @downtoearthmktsOn Facebook @downtoearthmarkets