Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Recipe by Lisa Bynum, from the October/November 2019 issue of Eat Drink Mississippi
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
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Poke holes in each of the potatoes with a fork. Bake potatoes in the oven until fork tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
In the meantime, cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Break up sausage into bite sized pieces. Cook sausage until no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain grease from skillet and return to heat.
Add butter to the skillet. Once butter has melted, add leeks, sage, thyme, and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt and cook until they start to turn golden brown and become tender, about 10 minutes.
Once 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 flesh in a large bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add sausage, leeks, and sour cream. Stir until combined.
Spoon mixture back into the sweet potato shells. Top with Swiss cheese.
Arrange stuffed potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil until cheese is melted, about 4 miuntes.
