Fluffy, tender, savory twice baked sweet potatoes get topped with a dusting of crispy, salty pork rinds and chives. This salty sweet combo is unstoppable and perfect for your next dinner party!
Oh yeah, you read that right: savory twice baked sweet potatoes with a PORK RIND CRUMBLE.
Before I made this recipe, I did a bit of research on twice baked sweet potato recipes. I could find very little in the way of savory twice baked sweet potatoes.
It seems that everyone else was making twice baked sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, sugar, and pecans, as if we were recreating a casserole.
I love sweet potatoes (as evidenced by my million sweet potato recipes) but I did not want sugar and marshmallows. I wanted something that could hold up alongside a steak without making me feel like I was eating my dessert.
Something creamy, with a compliment in a salty, crunchy texture. So, savory twice baked sweet potatoes with pork rind crumble came to be.
Now, if you're a pork rind hater, just give me a second to try and convert you with this recipe. I'm pretty sure you won't be a hater at the end.
How to make savory twice baked sweet potatoes
I always thought twice baked potatoes, in general, were just too much of a pain in the ass to make. I mean, who has time to make their potatoes twice? Once is plenty, thankyouverymuch.
But I've been getting bored with plain Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes that I make every week, and I decided to change it up. I'm not sorry I did, and I don't think you'll be sorry I did either.
Since we have to bake these suckers twice, let's get started, shall we?
1. Bake the sweet potatoes whole.
This seems like a no-brainer, but just in case - we don't want to cut the sweet potatoes in half until AFTER we have baked them. I just put mine on a baking sheet like this, poke a few holes in 'em so they don't explode, and bake. Easy peasy.
I wouldn't recommend doing them in the Instant Pot for this step, as the skins will get wet and mushy, and won't hold up to us scooping and baking them again.
Don't wrap them in foil for the same reason - we need dry skins.
Pro Tip:
This is a hands-off step, so use the time they are baking to meal prep something else for the week!
2. Slice the potatoes in half, then scoop.
When the potatoes come out of the oven, they are going to be HOT. You won't be able to handle them immediately. However, they will cool off faster if you cut them in half as soon as they come out.
As soon as you are able, slice them lengthwise, then let them sit out for a few minutes to cool.
Once they have cooled enough to handle, scoop out most of the flesh. Sweet potato skin is very thin and delicate, especially after baking. You'll need to be careful.
You also don't need to get out ALL of the sweet potato. They don't need to be perfect, and leaving a bit on the inside will help hold the skins together.
No, this photo is not glamorous, but it shows you what they look like in real life after I scooped them. Not photo worthy, but informative.
You can also see where I got too close to the skin in a couple of places and it ripped. Don't be me!
Leave a bit of sweet potato in your skins for these twice baked sweet potatoes, for skin integrity.
3. Make your filling.
Now, for the good stuff - we're going to mix all that sweet potato you just scooped out with some ghee, almond milk, and spices. The end result is a smooth and fluffy sweet potato filling.
Just add all your scooped out potato middles into a large bowl.
Add your salt, garlic powder, and paprika, as well as your ghee and almond milk (not photographed because I'm a dumdum and forgot.)
If you're looking to use a different alternative milk, you can find a full guide to dairy substitutes here.
Once you've added all your ingredients to the bowl, use your immersion blender to blend until smooth. You may need to pulse a bit - I had to pulse for awhile and move it around to break them up at first, and then run it smoothly.
(If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a hand mixer, stand mixer, or regular blender. If you don't have any of those, just mash them up by hand - bonus points for the arm workout!)
4. Re-stuff your sweet potatoes.
Spoon your savory twice baked sweet potato filling back into your scooped out sweet potato skins. You want them to be heaping, so it's ok if they're not flat and level. We're looking for a fluffy, mounded top!
Once you've scooped the filling back in, it's time for the magic ingredient - pork rinds.
I made mine into a dust with our spice grinder. If you don't have a spice grinder, put them in a ziplock and beat them with the back of a spoon. Or just crush 'em with your hands.
Once you've got some pork rind dust/crumble/sprinkle, top each potato with a generous (I said GENEROUS) handful of the pork rinds.
5. Twice bake your sweet potatoes.
Now it's time to make the magic of savory twice baked sweet potatoes happen.
Place your stuffed sweet potatoes back on the baking sheet if they aren't already, and put them back in the oven. They're already cooked, so the idea here is just to get them warmed through - we cooled them off a lot when making the filling.
After 10-15 minutes, the middle should be warm. Before turning the oven off, turn the broiler on. Your pork rind crumble is about to get crispy and brown and perfect and delicious.
Keep an eye on them - you don't want them to burn! You're looking for the edges of the skins and the tops of the crumble topping to get browned.
Remove them from the oven and serve! NOMS.
Did you make these savory twice baked sweet potatoes? I want to see - tag me on social!
Recipe
Savory Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pork Rind Crumble
Fluffy, tender, savory twice baked sweet potatoes get topped with a dusting of crispy, salty pork rinds and chives. This salty sweet combo is unstoppable!
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pork rinds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Poke sweet potatoes with a fork or knife to vent, then place on baking sheet and place in preheated oven for 1 hour.
- Check to ensure potatoes are done by pushing a knife through a potato. If you get resistance, they need to cook awhile longer! If the knife slides through easily, proceed to the next step.
- Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, then scoop out the fleshy middle. The skins are tender, so leave a bit of potato on the inside to hold them together!
- Turn oven down to 350°.
- In a mixing bowl, combine scooped out potatoes, almond milk, ghee, paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Using a stick/immersion blender, blend until smooth.
- Crush the pork rinds using a spice grinder, or do it by hand.
- Spoon filling back into the skins, then top with the pork rind crumble.
- Return to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes more or until heated through.
- Turn the oven on broil and WATCH closely! You are looking for browned edges and browned tops. Get that crumble topping crispy!
- Remove from oven and serve. Watch them vanish from plates.
Notes
Making the filling: If you don't have a stick blender, you can use any blender or mixer or potato masher. You're just looking for a smooth filling, however you choose to get there. Smooooooth.
A note on spice grinders: I love ours. We use it to chop nuts, seeds, and make all sorts of things other than spices. It's a pretty handy kitchen tool that doesn't take up much space. That being said, it's not a "must have." Feel free to just crush up some pork rinds in a bag with a spoon or your hand - they'll do just fine!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 8 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 138Saturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 448mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 4g
Looking for other sweet potato recipes? Try my Curried Sweet Potato Soup, Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash, or my Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon and Green Onions!
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