Sweet Potato Stuffed Peaches

The popularity of sweet potatoes in the U.S. continues to rise as more and more people discover the variety of delicious ways to use this versatile vegetable.  Once thought of as a Thanksgiving or winter side dish, sweet potatoes are now served all year-long. My family loves sweet potatoes and I serve them often – roasted with coconut oil, in salads, and in appetizers too as in my recent Sweet Potato Black Bean Avocado Salsa post.  And now that peach season has arrived I’ve combined sweet potatoes and peaches to create a delicious, nutritious side dish that is fantastic served alongside grilled chicken or pork.  Sweet Potato Stuffed Peaches are tender, creamy, and full of sweet, savory, peachy flavor.

There are many ways to cook sweet potatoes but one of my favorites is the method I’m using in this recipe because it’s SO easy.  There is no peeling or chopping involved and no messing around with boiling water or a basket steamer on the stove top.  You simply individually wrap each sweet potato in aluminum foil and roast on the bottom rack of the oven until tender.  Then let them cool and cut away the skin.  The skin becomes separated from the meat of the sweet potato while roasting so it come off with surprising ease.

Be sure to make this dish with peaches that are just barely ripe – in other words, a tiny bit tender but still mostly firm.  Peaches there are overly ripe will become mushy after they’re roasted.  You can pipe the sweet potatoes onto each peach half for a more decorative appearance (I used a large Wilton tip #7F) or simply spoon the sweet potatoes on casually.  The color of Sweet Potato Stuffed Peaches is so beautiful and vibrant that decorative piping is hardly needed, especially with chopped pecans on top.

I wasn’t sure whether to call Sweet Potato Stuffed Peaches a side dish or a low-calorie dessert.  I think you could even serve these for breakfast!  If you have young kids I guarantee they’ll love these.  This is a fast, easy recipe that’s great for entertaining. You can do all the prep beforehand then just pop the casserole dish in the oven 30 minutes before serving.  A sweet and peachy dish if ever there was one!

Sweet Potato Stuffed Peaches

 

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Author: QUEEN OF MY KITCHEN

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. sweet potato (1 large or 2 small)
• 3 peaches (barely ripe), halved and pitted
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the sweet potato in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 1 hour or until it can be easily pierced with a toothpick through the foil. (This could take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1½ hours depending on the size and thickness of the sweet potato. Start testing after 45 minutes.)
2. Once the sweet potato is cool enough to handle remove the aluminum foil and cut away the skin. Puree in a food processor, along with a pinch of salt, until completely smooth. (You can also use a hand potato masher, but the mixture won't be quite as smooth.) Chill the mixture for several hours or overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lay the peach halves, cut side up, in a casserole dish. Spoon, or pipe, the sweet potato mixture onto each peach half. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake at 350 degrees in the bottom third of the oven for 30 minutes.

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