If you were to ask my dear husband if he likes sweet potatoes, his first answer would be, “Not really a fan.” Given the option to choose a suitable contender to share the stage with a juicy ribeye that has earned the leading role in his dinner plate theater, he’d skip the sweet potato, drenched in butter and cinnamon available at most steak house restaurants, and head straight for the loaded baked potato or french fries. I speak of the plate as a stage in jest because over the 20 years that we have been together I’ve had a front row seat for many performances. He once single-handedly consumed a giant piece of chocolate cake that was delivered to our table with a side of forks that were clearly unnecessary… A ribeye that you swear was once used as a prop in the classic 1988 film “The Great Outdoors” with Dan Akroyd and John Candy. Trust me, it’s a show. My dad always says it will catch up with him one day, but we are still waiting. So what does this mean for the fate of this Stuffed Sweet Potato recipe that I decided to test on my hunk of a husband? How could he possibly be satisfied with a sweet potato as the star of the show?…He LOVED it!!! It is the absolute best combination of tastes and textures that teases the palette with every bite. The silky texture of the perfectly baked sweet potato, the savory and salty bit of Italian sausage, tang of the feta cheese and the cool sour cream that extinguishes the slight heat from the drizzle of tomatillo salsa…. With the addition of the black beans and a bit of quinoa, it’s quite a satisfying and easy meal that will be sure to turn someone in your family into a fan!
Note: There are numerous methods to bake a sweet potato and any method could be used here in a pinch, but the method described will yield a sweet potato with the perfect texture and taste. Microwave oven results will vary. The key is to bring the internal temperature of the potato to 200° and to hold it there for an hour. You can test the internal temperature with any internal kitchen thermometer. Check out my favorite thermometer, ThermoPop by ThermoWorks found on my Tools for Success.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes of equal size
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1-2 Italian sausage links, casings removed
- 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 Tbsp of crumbled feta cheese, divided
- 2 Tbsp cilantro chopped
- Jarred or bottled tomatillo salsa (salsa verde)
- Sour cream
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 425°
- Step 2 Line an aluminum baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack inside the baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray.
- Step 3 Lightly prick each potato with a fork in 3 places.
- Step 4 Place potatoes on a plate-microwave for 6-9 minutes until they yield slightly when touched and the internal temperature reaches 200°. Check temperature after about 3 minutes. *See note above.
- Step 5 Transfer potatoes to the prepared baking sheet/wire rack and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour. (Potatoes will be very soft when squeezed and some caramelization of the internal sugars will be apparent on the outside.)
- Step 6 Meanwhile place the Italian sausage in a skillet over med-high heat- breaking it up into pieces and cook until no pink remains. About 5-6 minutes. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
- Step 7 Prepare quinoa as directed on package.
- Step 8 Make a slit in the top of each potato, protect your hands from the steam with a clean dish towel and squeeze and push slightly on each end to push the cooked flesh to the top of the opening.
- Step 9 Top each potato with 1/4 cup of quinoa, Italian sausage, half of black beans, 2 Tbsp of feta, 1 Tbsp cilantro, tomatillo salsa and sour cream. **Amounts can be adjusted to your preference. Add a little salt if you like and serve while hot.