Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Shrooms
It is round 2 of the vacation detox, and still going hard on the veggie heavy diet. For whatever reason, I am still on the comfort food kick. Like I want something ooey gooey that leaves me with the same satisfaction as when I eat a big, warm, cheesy bowl of mac & cheese. Clearly not part of the detox, so I am resorting to roasted and pureed sweet potatoes to fill my body with something comforting and kind of decadent.
Mashed sweet potatoes are such a good substitute for regular mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes are much more nutrient heavy than their plain potato friends and are still able to be used in all the ways a regular potato can. Roasted, friend, mashed, hash browned - whatever. Sweet potatoes are a staple around our house, and I am taking inspiration from the classic and creamy twice baked potato for this round of healthy eats. For those that have not experienced the magic of a twice baked potato, it's like a cross between mashed and roasted potatoes, and literally it is pure magic on a plate. My own twist is to use sweet potatoes (duh) and zero heavy cream or milk to bring Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Shrooms to life. Taking the warm ooey gooey mashed sweet potato and placing it over a bed of ice cold arugula so it's almost like a twice baked sweet potato salad. Get a little bit of potato and a little bit of the arugula, and it's just the perfect little bite.
Sweet potatoes are just exactly that - sweet! So I love to balance out the natural sweetness by adding additional veggies to the mix that give the dish an overall more savory flavor. Peppers, onions, and goat cheese are a few fresh ingredients I have found pair really well with sweet potatoes & bring out the more savory side to the veggie, & onions are one main ingredient I used in this dish. I jazzed up my twice baked potatoes by blending them with caramelized onions to keep my sweet potato blend creamy and buttery and just delish. A great substitute for milk or cream that is always used in a mash to keep it creamy and you coming back for one bite after another.
For the Potatoes
2 sweet potatoes
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp goat cheese crumbles
8-12 ounces crimini mushrooms, cut into thick slices
3 c. fresh arugula
1 Tbsp chicken stock
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp EVOO
Salt & pepper
Balsamic glaze for drizzling (I recommend the one you can buy from Trader Joe's)
Start by piercing each potato with a fork many, many times. Like 20 times per potato, and make an effort to jam that fork in their deep. Preheat the oven to 375. Place the potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for one hour.
As the potatoes bake, place a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the butter to the skillet and let it melt. Once it begins to bubble, add in the onions and stir. Cook for 6 minutes on medium hight heat, stirring every 2 minutes. After 6 minutes, add in a small pinch of both salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, check the onions and give them a stir. Re-cover and let cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the onions are brown and caramelized.
Heat a separate skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter to the pan.Once the butter is melted and begins to bubble, add in the sliced mushrooms and stir to coat all of the mushrooms in the butter. Let sit for 5 minutes without stirring to give the mushrooms a chance to brown. Stir and let cook for another 3 minutes. Add in the thyme and a pinch of both salt and pepper, stir it all together, and then turn off the heat.
When the potatoes are finished cooking, tent them in the foil and let cool for about 15 minutes. Cut a small piece off of the top of each potato, and scoop out the insides of the potato. It should be soft and easy to scoop out. Scoop out most all the flesh, but be mindful to leave a 1/4 inch border of flesh around the skins. Place the flesh in a blender along with the onions and broth. Puree until smooth. Return the flesh to the potato skins, or little boats, splitting the flesh evenly amongst the skins. Top with the goat cheese crumbles, kind of pressing the crumbles into the mixture.
