Description
A festive and flavorful holiday stuffed sweet potato recipe featuring baked sweet potatoes filled with a savory mix of browned butter, pecans, crispy bacon, and melted Colby cheese, topped with a crunchy panko, pecan, and bacon mixture. Perfect as a hearty side dish or a satisfying vegetarian option when bacon is omitted.
Ingredients
Scale
Sweet Potatoes
- 4 x 300g / 10oz sweet potatoes, skin on, washed and dried
- 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 5 tbsp pecan nuts
- 200g / 7 oz streaky bacon, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups Colby cheese, shredded
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
Panko Topping
- 1/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp sage leaves, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan forced).
- Bake Potatoes: Prick the skin of the sweet potatoes 15 times with a fork. Place them on a foil-lined baking tray and bake for 75 minutes or until soft all the way through. Check doneness by inserting a butter knife.
- Prepare Filling Components: While potatoes bake, prepare browned butter by melting butter in a pan over medium heat, simmering for 3 to 5 minutes until golden bits form and smell nutty. Toast pecans in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until golden, then cool and finely chop. Cook bacon in the same pan over medium to medium-high heat until golden (4 to 5 minutes), then drain with a slotted spoon. Lastly, toast panko breadcrumbs with salt and sage in the bacon fat over medium-high heat until golden, about 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Scoop Sweet Potatoes: When potatoes are cooked, cool for 10 minutes until handleable. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, then scoop out flesh leaving a 0.5cm wall around the skin. Place the scooped flesh in a bowl.
- Mix Filling: Mash the sweet potato flesh with a fork. Stir in browned butter, 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Add half the toasted pecans, bacon, and Colby cheese, reserving the rest for topping. Mix until combined.
- Stuff Potatoes: Place the potato skins on a paper-lined baking tray. Fill them evenly with the prepared filling. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.
- Bake Stuffed Potatoes: Bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Add Crunchy Topping: Sprinkle the reserved pecans, bacon, and panko topping mixture over the stuffed potatoes. Bake for an additional 3 to 4 minutes to crisp the topping.
- Rest and Serve: Let the potatoes rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the bacon and increase the amount of pecans and cheese slightly for added texture and flavor.
- Browning the butter adds a rich, nutty flavor that enhances the sweet potato stuffing.
- For gluten-free version, substitute panko breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Use fresh sage leaves for a more aromatic and fresh topping flavor.
- Ensure potatoes are fully cooked and soft inside before scooping to get the best texture in the stuffing.
