Easy Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes are irresistibly soft, fluffy, and savory baked sweet potatoes, combined with shallots, thyme, butter, and delicious Fontina cheese. They are a perfect Thanksgiving side dish or great to serve anytime.
It seems like most sweet potato recipes add additional sweetness to an already sweet dish. But this recipe, unlike most other sweet potato dishes, is savory and the result is pure deliciousness.
These healthy Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes are a perfect side dish to accompany pretty much any entrée, and as a bonus, they can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and just popped in the oven when it’s time to eat. They are as pretty to look at as they are yummy to eat and very easy to make, so they also are a perfect side dish to serve your guests.
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes also just might tempt any picky eaters in your family to eat sweet potatoes.
Harriet and Jim, long-time friends of ours, first introduced us to these scrumptious Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes at their home a few weeks ago, and then Harriet made them again shortly afterward for a Supper Club dinner we attended. I liked them so much that I made them this past weekend for a dinner party and served them with Grilled Grouper and Mango Salsa.
I will have to admit these three times are the only three times in my life that I have eaten an entire serving of sweet potatoes. I know you are shaking your head right about now, and I know how healthy they are, but I had tried many different sweet potato recipes over the years and just didn’t care for all of that sweetness.
This savory recipe, which was adapted from an Ina Garten recipe, is entirely different from any other sweet potato dish that I have ever had and I know you will love them as much as we do.
More sweet potato recipes
If you like sweet potatoes as much as we do, be sure to check out these other scrumptious sweet potato recipes on my blog:
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole with Bourbon
Easy Southern Sweet Potato Hash
Southern Candied Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
Terry’s Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Casserole
Easy Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Buttermilk Sweet Potato Biscuits
You might also want to check out my roundup post: 33 Best and Easiest Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving.
How to make Easy Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Let me show you how easy they are to make. First, gather your ingredients, which include: sweet potatoes, butter, shallots, fresh thyme, kosher salt and pepper, egg, and Fontina cheese.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
Scrub the potatoes and place them on the pan. Using a knife cut a few slits in the top to allow the steam to escape.
Bake the potatoes for about 50 minutes. Using a potholder, squeeze one of the potatoes to see if they are soft. If they are, remove from the oven, if not, bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Meanwhile, heat 1-½ tablespoon of butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 4 minutes, or until they are tender. Add the minced thyme and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise. Very carefully, using a teaspoon, scoop out some of the warm potato flesh into a medium-size bowl. Be sure to leave about a ½ inch layer of sweet potato next to the skin.
Sprinkle kosher salt and pepper on the insides of the potatoes.
Add the remaining softened butter to the potato mixture and mash with a fork or a potato masher.
Add the shallots, egg, cheese, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix well.
Spoon the mixture into the sweet potato shells and top each with a sprig of fresh thyme. (If you are making this dish ahead, at this point cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
Bake the potatoes uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until they are puffed and lightly browned. Serve hot. Enjoy!
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Easy Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 5-½ tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
- ½ cup shallots finely minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves minced, plus 6 sprigs of fresh thyme for garnish
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 extra-large egg lightly beaten
- 4 ounces Fontina Cheese cut into small cubes (buy 6 ounces with the rind)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up.
- Scrub the potatoes and place them on the pan. Using a knife cut a few slits in the top to allow the steam to escape.
- Bake the potatoes for about 50 minutes. Using a potholder, squeeze one of the potatoes to see if they are soft. If they are, remove from the oven, if not, bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Meanwhile, heat 1-½ tablespoon of butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 4 minutes, or until they are tender. Add the minced thyme and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise. Very carefully, using a teaspoon, scoop out some of the warm potato into a medium size bowl. Be sure to leave about a ½ inch layer of sweet potato next to the skin.
- Sprinkle kosher salt and pepper on the insides of the potatoes.
- Add the remaining softened butter to the potato mixture and mash with a fork or a potato masher.
- Add the shallots, egg, cheese, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix well.
- Spoon the mixture into the sweet potato shells and top each with a sprig of fresh thyme. (If you are making this dish ahead, at this point cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
- Bake the potatoes uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until they are puffed and lightly browned. Serve hot. Enjoy!
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