I love Halloween and have gone as the rocker Jem of the 80s hit cartoon Jem and the Holograms three years in a row now. I have no shame, I loved Jem growing up and adore the costume so much that I may even use it again at some point! I have very fond memories of watching the cartoon, and based on the reaction my costume always gets, most little girls growing up in the 80s did too! Who wouldn’t want to be able to transform into the lead singer of a band with pink hair just by pressing her earring?
You know what else I think about when I look back on the 80s? Baked potatoes! 1983 was a good year for my family, my brother was born, and Wendy’s put baked potatoes on their menu. My whole family always ordered baked potatoes over French fries at Wendy’s since their fries were sort of subpar. A few years later, my very favorite thing to do at the mall was hit the baked potato stand in the food court (which sadly, seem to have disappeared). I think they actually had some pretty decent toppings, like cheese and broccoli, but I was a picky eater and only had eyes for the huge tub of fake butter. I think the butter weighed more than the potato itself, making it oh so good. So, in honor of the 80s, I decided we had to have baked potatoes for dinner tonight!
I actually just nuked my sweet potatoes in the microwave in order to speed things up and then mixed the flesh with shredded chicken and some spices. I was thinking about how I always like having a perfect bite of both stuffing and mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and was inspired to top the potatoes with crumbled cornbread. Then I added a bit of goat cheese because it just makes everything better!
Truly Outrageous Baked Sweet Potatoes
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed
2 cooked boneless chicken breasts (I poached mine), shredded
Juice of one lime
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups crumbled cornbread
3 ounces crumbled goat cheese
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft; add garlic and saute one additional minute.
Poke sweet potatoes several times with a fork and microwave on high for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out flesh with a spoon. Place flesh in a large bowl with the onion mixture, shredded chicken, lime juice, thyme, chili powder, and salt, and mix until well combined.
Preheat broiler. Place sweet potato mix evenly in the potato shells on a large cookie sheet. Top evenly with crumbled cornbread and goat cheese. Broil for 2 to 5 minutes or until warmed through. Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition: 296 calories, 7.9g fat, 3.5g fiber, 24.4g protein per serving
Cost: $1.19 per serving