Loaded Sweet Potato Skins

A twist on the popular, traditional bar food.  Enjoy a big plate of extra crispy, extra loaded sweet potato skins in no time!  This game-time favorite is hard to resist.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 4 strips bacon, cooked until crispy, and crumbled
• sour cream and chopped chives for serving

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400F degrees. 
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• Pierce each sweet potato a few times and bake for 40-50 minutes or until soft. 
• Allow the potatoes to cool slightly. 
• Slice potatoes in half lengthwise.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375F degrees. 
• Scoop out sweet potato flesh, leaving a thin layer of sweet potato inside, and add flesh to a medium bowl. 
• Place skins back on the baking sheet face up, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.
• Mash the sweet potato flesh with milk, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy. 
• After 10 minutes, remove the skins from the oven. 
• Fill each with an equal amount of mashed sweet potato and top each with cheese. 
• Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted. 
• Remove from the oven and top with bacon. 
• Serve with sour cream and chopped chives, if desired.