For this year's holiday, Kevin and I made the trek to Wisconsin where my sister and her husband hosted our big family meal in their new home! It was wonderful to see family and friends, relax, and of course, in the true American way, gorge ourselves on anything semi-edible that we could get our hands on. In order to make it easier for those who host, my family tries to divvy up the dishes so each person makes one or two, and no one is stuck with the majority. I always make the sweet potatoes, many times in casserole form. However, this year I diverged, and I think everyone was glad we did. I made Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes, which, since I always use fresh, whole sweet potatoes, cut down on having to peel the flesh out of their skins, which saved time and a lot of mess. The recipe was really pretty simple, and I was able to prepare them the day before Thanksgiving, refrigerate them overnight (ok, let's be honest, I did not put them in the refrigerator, I put them in the garage, since the refrigerator was full), and then bake them (for the second time) about 20 minutes before we sat down to eat.
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
Filling:
6 Sweet Potatoes
5 Tbs Brown Sugar
4 Tbs Butter
6 oz. Cream Cheese
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Ginger
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
Topping:
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Butter
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Wash the potatoes, and pierce them with a fork a few times. Put on a baking sheet (whole) and roast for 1 hour. To test to see if the potatoes are cooked through, pierce with a fork - if the fork slides through easily, I'd say they are done. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool.
Once cooled, slice each potato in half the long way, so they look like little boats. With a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4" on all sides, and put in a bowl. Set the skins aside. Mix in the rest of the filling ingredients and whip the filling together, so that it is creamy and blended well.
This is the fun part. If you are special and have a pastry bag, use that. If you do not, like I do not, take a large Ziplock bag, and cut one of the bottom corners off (only about a 1/4"). Fill the bag with the filling mixture, and pipe into each potato skin. This is where you can set the potatoes aside and save them for later if you would prefer.
Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon for the topping together, and then with a pastry cutter or butter knife, cut in the butter to form a crumbly topping. Sprinkle onto each potato.
Bake the potatoes on the baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes, just so they are heated through.
Enjoi!
