I Tried Ina Garten’s Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

I keep a compact list of sweet potato recipes I turn to time and time again. They vary from butter-roasted and smashed, to whipped and baked. The orange-hued spud is one of my very favorites, and I am always on the lookout for inspired recipes to add to my collection. So when I caught a glimpse of Ina Garten’s twice-baked sweet potatoes on Instagram a couple of weeks ago, I immediately bookmarked them. They’re loaded with melty cheese, scented with plenty of thyme, and looked like they had the potential to be the ultimate fall and winter side dish. So I took to the kitchen to find out.

Get the recipe: Ina Garten’s Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

You’ll start by baking a few whole sweet potatoes for an hour or so until they’re very tender. While they cool, you’ll sauté minced shallots and thyme in butter until the shallots are softened and the mixture is fragrant. Next, you’ll cut the baked potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. You’ll mash the flesh with a few tablespoons of butter; add the shallot mixture, diced Taleggio cheese, a lightly beaten egg, salt, and pepper; and stir until combined. You’ll then spoon the mixture into the sweet potato shells, top each with a thyme sprig, and bake until puffed, melty, and lightly golden-brown, 20 to 30 minutes.

These sweet potatoes were simple to make and oh-so impressive to serve. They were so pretty to pull out of the oven and competed for attention with the broiled salmon and sautéed kale I served with them. The bits of melty, extra creamy Taleggio cheese were fun to pull at in each slice and forkful of potato. I expect to make these sweet potatoes again and again all through the chilly months ahead, to pair with steak, chicken, and fish. They’re sure to be main-dish material for me and my husband, too. Paired with a simple salad or cooked green, these sweet potatoes can hold their own as a cozy meatless dinner.

While this recipe is exceptionally straight-forward, I discovered a few tricks along the way.