Technically this is a side dish, but honestly, I would just as soon eat it on its own for my dinner, maybe with a green salad. The filling is a gorgeous combination of sweet and savory, and the skins turn crisp and lightly candied. This is a warm, comforting dish, particularly in the crisp fall weather. Feel free to experiment with the cheeses and greens you make them with—I’m anxious to try them with creamy goat cheese.

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, skin on, scrubbed $1.50

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil pantry

1 clove garlic, chopped pantry

1/2 medium onion, chopped 50 cents for a whole onion

1 cup chopped kale (dinosaur or Tuscan), about 2-3 kale leaves $1 for a bunch

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (jack, Muenster, or fontina would also work) $3.50 for 8 oz.

1 tablespoon butter $1 for a stick

salt and pepper to taste pantry

Total cost of ingredients: $7.50

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pierce scrubbed sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet.

Roast sweet potatoes for 30-35 minutes, until cooked all the way through.

While sweet potatoes roast, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for three to four minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the kale and cook, stirring occasionally, for seven to eight minutes, until kale is very wilted. Remove from pan and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Let sweet potatoes cool for five minutes once you take them out of the oven (leave the oven on). Slice sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the cooked flesh (you may need to leave a thin layer of flesh close to the skin to keep the skin from tearing). Place scooped-out sweet potato flesh into the mixing bowl with the onion-kale mixture and set the skins aside (you’ll use them later).

To the bowl, add most of the cheese (reserve a few pinches to top the sweet potatoes) and the butter and use a fork to mash the whole mixture together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the mixture between the empty sweet potato skins and top each with a pinch of the shredded cheese and place the stuffed sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cheese on top begins to bubble and brown. Serve immediately.

Makes four servings.

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