Cranberries And Brie Make Patty’s Sweet Potatoes A Holiday Hit

Halloween's over and we've made the turn to Thanksgiving and the holiday season. Everyone has their own favorite holiday food. Mine, without a doubt, is the sweet potato. I love 'em baked, stuffed, and in a casserole. You cook me a sweet potato, I'll eat it.

Owensboro's Patty Millay is serving up a delicious twist on sweet potatoes this holiday season. She's stuffing her baked sweet potatoes with a bunch of other 'Fall' staples- like cranberries and pecans. Here's a tasty recipe for Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.

PATTY'S STUFFED SWEET POTATOES

4 medium sweet potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 oz Brie cheese, rind removed, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp melted butter

CRANBERRY GLAZE
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp orange juice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, then wash and pat dry your sweet potatoes.

Prick the potatoes several times with a fork and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Place on oven rack or a baking sheet and roast for 40 - 50 minutes or until very tender when pierced with a fork. Patty, for reference, does not wrap her potatoes in foil before baking them.

While the sweet potatoes roast, prepare your cranberry glaze with the ingredients above. In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, granulated sugar, water, orange zest, and orange juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small skillet, toast the chopped pecans over medium heat (roughly 3-5 minutes). Be sure to stir them frequently and be careful not to burn them. Transfer pecans to a bowl and toss with 1 tbsp maple syrup and melted butter. Set aside.

Once the sweet potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven. Slice each potato lengthwise down the middle (essentially making a boat). Be careful not to cut all the way through. Gently scoop out about half of the cooked sweet potato flesh from each half into a mixing bowl, leaving enough around the skin to maintain its shape

To the scooped out sweet potato, add the remaining 1 tbsp maple syrup, half of the Brie cheese pieces, and half of the maple-glazed pecans. Use a fork to mash gently until just combined. Season with a pinch more salt and pepper (if desired).

Spoon the sweet potato mixture back into the sweet potato skins. Top each half with the remaining Brie cheese pieces and maple-glazed pecans. Place the stuffed sweet potatoes back on the baking sheet.

The stuffed sweet potatoes go back in the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes. You'll know they're ready when the Brie is melted and the pecans are golden. **Patty pro tip- If you like, you can switch to broiler for the last 2-3 minutes for extra crispiness on the cheese and pecans.
Carefully remove from the oven. Drizzle generously with your cranberry glaze. Serve immediately and enjoy!