Yamolicious!

Yams and sweet potatoes are interchangeable for me. Yes there are differences, but they are subtle. I found a delicious recipe for stuffed sweet potatoes that initially I was going to make for Thanksgiving, but we had more than enough food as it was, so there was no need. When I did decide to make this recipe, the sweet potatoes that were available were very small and puny, so I opted to use yams instead. They didn’t look as pretty or as colorful as they would have been with sweet potatoes, but they still tasted very good, and the taste is really all that matters.

I served them with my buttermilk onion rings Buttermilk Onion Rings and the tangy BBQ chicken Southern Comfort as part of my Southern holiday feast.

These stuffed yams, or sweet potatoes, can be eaten anytime of day and they will hit the spot. They are loaded with goodness. They were loaded with apple shreds and bacon, topped with more bacon and pomegranate seeds and parsley. Anything with bacon will always be good.

Stuffed Yams

4 medium sweet potatoes or yams

2 TBSP soft butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 TBSP brown sugar

2 medium apples, peeled and shredded

5 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled

2 TBSP pomegranate seeds

chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 425* F or 200* C

Scrub the yams or sweet potatoes and poke holes all around with a fork. Bake them for about 45-60 minutes or until they are tender. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes or so then cut in 1/2 and scoop out the insides, leaving about 1/4 inch around the skins.

Mix the inside of the yams with the apple shreds, 1/2 of the bacon, brown sugar, salt and butter and mash everything up. Carefully reload the skins with the mashed up mixture. Lower the oven temperature to 400* F and place the loaded skins back in the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Sprinkle the tops with the rest of the bacon, pomegranate seeds and the chopped parsley. It is colorful, festive, healthy and very tasty too. What more can you ask for, right?!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone. May they be merry and bright and safe for you all. ‘Til next time.