Holiday Stuffed Sweet Potato – with bacon, pecans & sage

Stuffed sweet potato with holiday vibes! Baked sweet potatoes stuffed with crispy bacon, toasty pecans and swirls of browned butter, with melty cheese and a crunchy sage-panko topping. A swoon-worthy combination of flavours and texture.

Stuffed Baked Sweet Potato Casserole

This is a riff on my sweet potato casserole, baked in individual sweet potato boats rather than one big casserole pan. The scooped out flesh of baked sweet potatoes are mashed with all sorts of holiday-flavour-goodness (specifically browned butter, pecans and bacon, an utterly divine combination with sweet potato), stuffed back into the potato boats, baked with melty cheese then finished with a shower of crunchy sage-bacon-flavoured-panko breadcrumbs.

PHEW that’s a long sentence!!!

No, it’s not a quick Monday-night side dish slapped together in a rush. This is a starchy side that commands attention, that’s indulgent and lush and made for special occasions. The flavour combination of sweet-salty-nutty-buttery and the crunchy topping with the creamy insides is just unbelievably good.

Bonus: Assemble ahead then bake on the day!

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes

I’m using 300g/10oz sweet potatoes which, once halved, makes a nice size portion as a side dish for one person, If your potatoes are larger or smaller, that’s fine. There’s enough topping / filling for around 1.2kg / 2.4lb sweet potato, whether it’s 6 smaller ones or 3 larger ones.

This recipe will also work with regular potatoes. But the flavour combination here has been specifically designed for sweet potatoes. Try my regular Twice Baked Stuffed Potatoes instead – though there’s nothing regular about how delicious that recipe is!!

Add-ins and crunchy sage-panko topping

Here’s what you need to mix into the filling and for the crunchy topping.

• Unsalted butter – We’re using this to make browned butter today. More intensely buttery with warm nutty flavours. The better butter!

• Bacon – Chopped then fried up until crispy and golden, we use the fat to pan fry the panko until golden. No wasting free flavour!

• Colby cheese – This is my all-rounder go-to cheese with good melting qualities and flavour without going greasy. Feel free to substitute with other cheese of choice – cheddar, tasty, Monterey jack, gruyere, swiss cheese. If using mozzarella, I’d mix in 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese for a flavour / salt boost.

• Spices – Garlic, onion powder and paprika.

• Panko breadcrumbs – For the toppings! Larger and crunchier than ordinary breadcrumbs, find it in the Asian aisle of regular grocery stores (though cheaper at Asian stores!).

• Fresh sage – This is my herb of choice for this holiday-inspired side dish. The earthy flavour is sheer perfection with the buttery sweet potato. If you’re cooking for a special occasion, I think it’s worth getting. But if you don’t have it, you can substitute with rosemary for another herb that will work well with the other flavours in this dish. Otherwise, just use parsley so you get similar green specks (don’t worry, there is plenty of other flavour going on in this dish!).

How to make Stuffed Sweet Potato Casserole

In a nutshell, the flesh of baked potatoes are mashed up with the tasty add ins, re-stuffed back into the potato then baked with cheese and a crunchy topping.

1. Bake – Prick the skin with a fork to allow excess juice to leak out (this prevents skin burstage). Then bake the potatoes in a 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan forced) oven for 75 minutes or until soft. Check with a butter knife, not a sharp knife (too sharp so it glides through even if not properly cooked, made this mistake!).

2. Scoop – Let it cool for 10 minutes just so you can handle it. Then cut in half and scoop the flesh out, using a tea towel to hold the potato if needed.

3. Filling – Mash the flesh up with all the filling add-ins (see below for steps for each) – the browned butter, crispy bacon bits, chopped pecans, spices and cheese. Reserve half the bacon, pecans and cheese for topping.

4. Stuff the potato with the filling then top with the remaining cheese,

5. Bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is melty and there’s golden spots.

6. Top with the reserved bacon, pecans and golden panko mixture (see below). Bake for a further 3 to 4 minutes just to warm the crunchy topping then serve!

Add-ins and panko topping

Prepare the panko topping and add-ins to mix into the filling while the potatoes are baking.

1. Browned butter – Just melt then simmer the butter until you see golden bits and it smells nutty and intensely buttery. Ideally, use a silver saucepan or small pan so you can see the golden bits. Otherwise, use a spoon to scoop up the butter to check.

2. Toast pecans – Using a non-stick pan, toast the pecans for 3 minutes in a dry pan until it you see golden spots. Then transfer to a cutting board and chop once cool,

3. Crispy bacon – In the same pan, fry the bacon until crispy and golden. If using streaky bacon, you won’t need extra oil because the fat in the bacon will melt. Then remove the bacon using a slotted spoon so the fat in the pan gets left behind – we’re not wasting a drop of it!

4. Crunchy panko – Add the panko, sage and salt. Then cook for a few minutes in the bacon fat until the panko is golden.

Toppings, done! Use as per directions in the section above.

Serving and making ahead

We (JB and I) created this recipe with upcoming holiday gatherings in mind. As in, a starchy side dish intended to make an impact on your guests for those extra special dinners.

Does it take more effort than a regular baked potato? It sure does. Does it take more effort than making one big pan of Sweet Potato Casserole? Yes, because we’re assembling multiple ones rather than dumping everything into one big pan.

Is it worth the effort? Yes, a million times over. As someone in my team said, you feel sad when you finish the last bite because you never want the eating experience to end.

But don’t worry. Steal the last one left for yourself. Hide it. No need to share! #HolidaySpirit 😈 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

More statement starchy sides

Life of Dozer

A duck must’ve pooped there.