About the Recipe
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS:
4-6 medium sweet potatoes
8-10 slices thick-cut bacon
2 medium leeks, washed well and sliced thinly (about 1/2 – 1 cup)
2 large honey crisp apple, cored, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoon raw honey. Local is best!
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
½-1 cup shredded asiago cheese (this can be omitted!)
Preparation
INSTRUCTIONS:Â
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for an hour or until tender (a fork should easily penetrate the skin & potato when done). Remove potatoes from oven and allow to cool.
While potatoes cook, cook the bacon in cast iron skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate and dab dry then cut into small, bite-sized pieces. Remove all but a teaspoon or so of drippings from the skillet.
Over medium heat, add the leeks, apples, raw honey, sage and rosemary to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring often, until the leeks and apples have softened and slightly caramelized.
Cut the sweet potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh into a medium crock pot. Add salt and pepper (to taste) and mash sweet potatos with a potato masher until it’s smooth. Add about 3/4 of the cheese (optional), bacon and leek/apple mixture, reserving a bit of everything to sprinkle on top for garnish. Stir lightly to combine all ingredients, adding additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Sprinkle the rest of the bacon, leek mixture and cheese over the top. Keep warm in crock pot until ready to serve.
Store any leftovers in refrigerator and reheat as needed. Flavor enhances as it sits!