Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Quantities given are per sweet potato; you can do as many as you like, obviously.

These are a little funny - they don't seem quite substantial enough to be a meal in their own right, but they are too much to be just a side dish, although I suppose you could. What I think they need to go with them is some soup, or you could use them as a fairly substantial first course.

I have to admit these are pretty much Stuffed Baked Potatoes, but it's surprising how different the use of sweet potatoes makes them. In spite of the length of time (mostly going towards getting the sweet potatoes baked) these are an easy, low-effort dish.

1 or 2 servings (per sweet potato)
1 hour 30 minutes; 15 minutes prep time

1 large sweet potato (300 grams; 10 to 12 ounces)
1 slice of onion or a small shallot
2 or 3 button mushrooms
1 or 2 slices of bacon
OR 1/2 of a raw sausage
1 teaspoon mild vegetable oil
30 grams (1 ounce) old Cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon savory

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rub the sweet potatoes lightly with oil, and prick in several places with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes, until quite soft.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion or shallot fairly finely. Clean and chop the mushrooms. Cut the bacon or sausage into small pieces.

Heat the oil in a small skillet. Or, if your bacon or sausage is rather fatty, render it in the pan instead of using the oil, then add the onion or shallot, and mushrooms. Cook all together, stirring frequently, until everything is softened and cooked down. When it is, remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool a bit. This really shouldn't be done  until about 15 minutes before the sweet potatoes are baked.

When the sweet potatos are baked, remove them from the oven but leave it on. Holding them with a pot holder or tea towel, cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh to 1/4" of the skin, and mash it coarsely. Add it to the pan of onions, mushrooms, and sausage or bacon, and mix well. Dice the cheese and mix it in, along with the seasonings. Divide the filling evenly between the sweet potato halves, mounding it up neatly.

Return the sweet potatoes to the oven for another 20 minutes or so. Serve when the potatoes are hot through and the cheese is bubbling.

Posted in: Ontario Food