Harvest Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
• 4 small sweet potatoes (about 10 ounces each)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup onion, minced
• 1⅓ cups Bartlett pears, diced and packed
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 4 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup dried cranberries, minced
• 2 tablespoons Hammons Black Walnuts, minced
Instructions
Heat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and bake until soft, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside for about 10 minutes until cool enough to handle, and reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
While the potatoes cool, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it just begins to soften, about two minutes. Add the pear and poultry seasoning and cook until the pears just begin to soften.
Slice down the center of each potato and gently peel back just enough skin to scoop out the insides into a medium bowl—be careful not to break the skin. Leave a little bit of potato around the edges to help the potato hold its shape, then mash the sweet potatoes until smooth.
Reserve six tablespoons of the pear mixture for later use and add the rest to the sweet potatoes, along with the maple syrup, salt and cinnamon. Stir until well mixed. Gently scoop the filling back into each potato to fill it and spread the reserved pear mixture along the center of each potato, about 1½ tablespoons per potato.
In a small bowl, mix the cranberries and black walnuts, then spread this mixture along the center of each potato, lightly pressing into the pear mixture. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are hot and the black walnuts are lightly toasted. Let cool for five to 10 minutes.
