Twice-baked Sweet Potatoes

Twice-baked potatoes are one of my all-time favorite foods, as are regular-baked sweet potatoes. That it's taken me until the age of nearly 23 to think of combining these two foods casts significant doubt on the cooking abilities of which I've always been rather proud.

I mean, it's not even an original idea. You can find recipes for twice-baked sweet potatoes EVERYWHERE. Except, until today, on this blog.

Which is a cryin' shame. Because twice-baked sweet potatoes? Are every bit as awesome as you think they are. If you don't think they sound awesome at all, then they are SIGNIFICANTLY MORE awesome than you think they are.

You should try these potatoes, is what I'm trying to say.

This isn't really a recipe. It's a suggestion and an imperative and some vague instructions. Such as:

• Bake some sweet potatoes. As many as you like. Rub a bit of oil or bacon grease on them (not too much! just a little!), stab them with a fork a few times (this will be surprisingly difficult, if you're not used to stabbing sweet potatoes), and stick them in a 350-400 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. See? Vague. You want them to be tender, is what you're going for here.
• Slice them in half (carefully! Don't let the skins rip in half!) and scoop out the guts (carefully! Don't let the skins rip in half!).
  
• Put the guts in a bowl with some stuff. Suggestions for stuff include: bacon, sour cream, cheese (I used cheddar and Gouda because it's what I had in the fridge and oh my, this was a good idea), chives, spices (Cayenne pepper for a nice kick) and anything else you might like.
• Mix up the stuff and pile it back into the skins that you didn't rip. Put them back in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is all melty and the tops are just sliiiighly crusty.

I will never be able to fully accept that sweet potatoes are healthier than regular potatoes, when they're so delicious that they taste like candy.

Seriously. Serve these potatoes for lunch, dinner, side dish, or dessert. You can't go wrong.