These twice-baked sweet potatoes are an all-in-one side dish served in their own jacket with maple syrup, melty white cheddar cheese, and brown sugar bacon. To save time, meal prep them ahead of time, then heat just before serving.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword sweet potato
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour25 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Calories 525kcal
Ingredients
4sweet potatoes, 12-14 ounces each
4slicesthick cut bacon, sliced into ½ inch pieces
1tablespoonbrown sugar
3tablespoonsmelted butter
4tablespoonshalf and halfat room temperature
1eggat room temperature
1 ½teaspoonsorange zest
2tablespoonsmaple syrup, plus more for drizzling
½teaspoonkosher salt
1 cupwhite cheddar cheese
Instructions
Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook strips of bacon in a fry pan over medium heat until ¾ of the way done. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the bacon and cook to dissolve, stirring, about one minute. Remove from the heat and set aside where the bacon will continue to cook as it cools.
Remove the cooked potatoes from the oven. While still warm but cool enough to handle, use a sharp paring knife to cut the top of the potato skin off the potato, peel it away, and discard. Carefully scoop out the cooked flesh from the potato, taking care not to puncture or tear the skin, leaving you a potato skin boat. Place the cooked potato in a large bowl, and repeat with the remaining potatoes.
To the bowl with the potatoes, add the melted butter (cooled), half and half, egg, orange zest, maple syrup, and kosher salt. Use a hand mixer to blend until smooth. Fold ¾ cup of the white cheddar cheese and all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon chunks.
Using a piping bag with a large star tip or a gallon size freezer bag with one corner trimmed at an angle about ¼ inch, fill the bag with the potato mixture, and pipe into the reserved skins.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese and maple bacon and bake another 5 minutes or until melted. Drizzle with more maple syrup if desired, and serve warm.
Notes
To make these sweet potatoes ahead of time, prepare all the steps up to baking, and refrigerate up to 3 days. To bake, set out at room temperature for 30 minutes, then bake for 30 minutes, with the additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.