twice baked sweet potatoes

For a long time, I had trouble with sweet potatoes. They were never on our thanksgiving menu, and we never had them as a dinner side. In fact, the first time I ever had a sweet potato was 15 years ago, when I made baby food for my twins and sweet potato was next on the rotation.

Something about a potato that’s sweet just never sat well with me. It just doesn’t feel right. Potatoes are meant to be savory.

The kids used to love sweet potatoes chopped up, and tossed with evoo, honey, salt and cinnamon. So much so they called them crack potatoes. But I? Couldn’t get past the sweet.

However, sweet potatoes are often in our CSA, and I don’t waste veggies from our CSA. I’ve even developed a tempura recipe that works fantastically with sweet potatoes, and helps cut the sweet.

On a whim, I decided to try out my favorite way to eat a regular potato— by twice baking it— on the sweet potato, by changing the ingredients to better combat the sweetness. And?!? It worked! Almost too well, as I now crave twice baked sweet potatoes all the time.

Ingredients:

4 japanese sweet potatoes

evoo

salt

3 Tbsp green onions, sliced

1 cup shredded jack cheese

1/4 cup cream cheese

4 Tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.

Pierce potatoes with a fork and rub with evoo. Sprinkle with salt and set directly on the middle oven rack. Place a tin foil covered tray below potatoes to catch any drips.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove potatoes from oven. Slice the very top off of each potato. Scoop out the flesh of potatoes into a large bowl, leaving skins with a little bit of potato to hold their shape.

Add green onion, cheese, cream cheese, butter and 1 tsp of salt to bowl. Use a potato masher to combine ingredients and mash potatoes.

Once ingredients are combined, spoon mixture back into potato skins.

Return to oven and bake for an addition 10 - 15 minutes, until potatoes start to turn golden.