Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Twice baked sweet potatoes stuffed with Italian sausage, leeks, and topped with grated Swiss cheese bring new flavors to a popular side fall vegetable.
When most people prepare sweet potatoes, they automatically load them up with sugar and spice and everything nice. Don’t get me wrong! I love sweet potatoes loaded up with butter, cinnamon, sugar, and gooey marshmallows. But sweet potatoes are great as a base in savory dishes as well.
Twice baked potatoes are a popular side item in my house. Substituting sweet potatoes for the standard baking potatoes gives this a completely different texture and flavor. These are savory with a hint of sweetness and much creamier.
How to Make Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
You’ll need to start by baking your sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Poke holes in your potatoes. Then roast them for about an hour until you can easily poke them with a fork. Let them cool completely.
In the meantime, cook one pound of Italian sausage in a large skillet. I stuck with mild Italian sausage so my kids could eat it, but hot Italian sausage would be just as delicious. Cook until the Italian sausage is no longer pink. Be sure to break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces as you’re cooking. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pan and drain on paper towels.
Melt one tablespoon of unsalted butter in the same skillet. You’ll be using this to cook your leeks. Leeks look like giant green onions, but have a much milder flavor. You’ll want to have your leeks washed and diced before you get to this step. Be sure to use the white and light green parts of the leek only, as the dark green leaves are too tough to eat. Slice the leeks in half and wash any dirt that may have gotten trapped between the layer. Then chop the cleaned leaks and add them to the pan with the melted butter, fresh sage leaves and fresh thyme. Saute for 10 minutes until the leeks are soft.
Your sweet potatoes should be cool enough to handle by now. Carefully slice them open and scoop out the insides. Be sure to leave enough around the edge to help the skins keep their shape. Scoop the sweet potato flesh into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooks leeks and Italian sausage. Add half a cup of sour cream and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Mix everything together until it is well combined.
Preheat the broiler. Refill the sweet potato skins with the filling. Sprinkle the tops with shredded Swiss cheese. Broil for about five minutes until the potatoes are heated through and the Swiss cheese is melted. I serve these alongside an entree such as grilled pork tenderloin, but honestly they are filling enough that they would have made a great meal on their own.
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 small sweet potatoes (about 8 ounces each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cups leeks white and light-green parts only, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Poke holes in each of the potatoes with a fork. Bake the potatoes in the oven until they are fork tender, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes from oven and set aside to cool.
- In the meantime, cook the sausage in a medium skillet over medium heat. Break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces using a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage until it is no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain the grease from the skillet and then return to the heat.
- Add the butter to the skillet. Once the butter has melted, add the leeks, sage, thyme, and 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt. Cook the leeks until they start to turn golden brown and become tender, about 10 minutes.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and carefully scoop out the insides to within about 1/8-inch of the side. Place the flesh in a large bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add the sausage, leeks and sour cream. Stir until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Place an oven rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the broiler.
- Spoon the mixture back into the sweet potato shells. Top with the Swiss cheese.
- Arrange the stuffed potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Broil the potatoes until cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.
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Helen, that’s fantastic!! Thanks for coming back and sharing!
My son made this potato leek dish for a brunch and it is amazing!! Everyone had seconds. I love it. It is rich, but well worth the calaries. I am making it for my brunch with friends this weekend. This dish is good for brunch or dinner. You can’t go wrong.
These look delicious! Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite fiber-rich foods – especially when they are loaded with other tasty ingredients. Yum! I can’t wait to try this at home.
Loni, that sounds delicious!!
Thanks for the inspiration! This twice-baked thing is so much better with sweet potatoes. After I scooped out my sweet potatoes, I mixed the insides with cream cheese, salt, pepper, thyme, and some spinach and kale that I had sauteed with garlic. I refilled the skins and topped everything with grated Romano. Delicious!
Yes, I love that sweet potatoes can be prepared sweet or savory! These look gorgeous and delicious. I could use one right now. If only I had a sweet potato in the pantry…