Confession time.
Last night I walked into the kitchen and ate a leftover fortune cookie for dinner. It had been sitting on the counter since the weekend and somehow survived until Monday. I don’t even love fortune cookies—I only open them to read a little prediction that gives me permission to be lazy for a few days. “Great opportunity will come soon?” Fine. I’ll sit here and wait for it.
Ironically, my fortune that evening read something along the lines of “a friend will need your help soon.” Not exactly the uplifting line you want when you’re trying to accept that you ate a cookie instead of a meal.
That tiny dinner made sense in context: I spent most of Monday eating my emotions in anticipation of a storm that felt like it could rip my house from its foundation. I was nervous about losing internet or phone access for longer than five minutes, which somehow felt catastrophic. It was one of those “it’s dinnertime so I should eat” nights, even though I’d been snacking on leftovers all day and didn’t really need another bite.
My emotional diet that day was decidedly sweet and salty—probably chocolate peanut butter flavored. If you cut me open, I’d likely bleed something decadent. Or coconut. Definitely bacon, too.
After my fortune-cookie episode, I finished off about a quarter of one of these leftover sweet potatoes because I couldn’t sleep thinking about the howling wind and whatever monsters it might unleash. These apple bacon stuffed sweet potatoes are pure comfort food—exactly what I needed to stop imagining my house being blown away and to distract myself from storm damage photos of my beloved Jersey Shore.
I based this recipe on my roasted grape stuffed sweet potatoes, but wanted to create a fall-ready version using autumn flavors. They’re wonderful as a main for a simple meal with a salad, or served as a side for a holiday table. You can even make a twice-baked style for guests or keep them all to yourself to avoid fortune cookie dinners.
Apple Bacon Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Yield:
4
or 8, if you cut the potatoes in half
15 mins
1 hr
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Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes mostly fat and round
- 3 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, diced
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped sage
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 ounces goat cheese
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Poke holes in each sweet potato with a fork and wrap tightly in foil. Bake 45–60 minutes, until tender. Unwrap and cut a slit down the middle; let cool until you can handle them.
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While the potatoes bake, heat a large skillet over medium. Cook bacon until crispy and the fat renders, then drain on paper towels. Add diced apples with nutmeg and sage to the skillet, toss to coat, and cook until soft and lightly caramelized. Stir the bacon back into the apple mixture and set aside.
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When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh into a bowl, leaving the skins intact. Mash the flesh with 3 ounces of goat cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, then spoon the mixture back into the potato skins. If needed, warm the filled potatoes briefly in the oven and top with the remaining goat cheese. Finish by spooning the apple-bacon mixture evenly over the potatoes and serve.
Side Dish
American
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I appreciate you so much!
Oh bacon. I just adore you.