The holidays are upon us, and with the holidays comes the dread of finding a dish to bring to your family’s house. Lucky for you, I have been scouring the internet to find just the right dish to bring that will have everyone in you family, even grandma, raving about you until next year.
As a young, busy professional, I try to look for meals that are quick and inexpensive. This bite-sized appetizer was perfect for me. No Thanksgiving is complete without some form of sweet potato, so for this recipe I decided to find something that incorporated the classic vegetable. These bacon-wrapped sweet potatoes are perfect to bring to any holiday function, or just a fun snack for the house. I had most of the ingredients in my pantry already, so the only thing I had to buy were the sweet potatoes and brown sugar.
To complete this recipe, you’re going to need to carve out an hour and fifteen minutes of your day. Prep time took me about 30 minutes, and the bake time is 40 minutes. The ingredients you will need are:
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about 1-3/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1-pound bacon strips, halved
- Maple syrup, warmed (optional)
To start, you will need to preheat your oven to 350°. While your oven is preheating, you’re going to mix the butter and seasonings in a large mixing bowl. Toss the potatoes into the bowl and make sure they are nicely coated with all of the mixings. Next, you’re going to wrap one piece of bacon around each sweet potato cub and secure them together with a toothpick. The recipe I was using said to place the potatoes on parchment paper, but I didn’t have any at home, so I just put them right on a baking pan and they turned out fine. So, if you have parchment paper, go ahead and put that on your baking pan then add the sweet potatoes. Once you’ve got them on the pan, sprinkle your brown sugar on top. You don’t want to overdo the brown sugar, though, because then it may burn and your neighbors will come knocking asking if everything is OK.
The final step is to put the potatoes in the oven and let them back for 40-45 minutes or until your bacon is crisp and the sweet potatoes are tender. The recipe I followed says to serve with maple syrup, and I did, but it was too sweet for my taste. I did, however, have some ranch dressing in the fridge and it made a great dipping sauce. This recipe makes about 2 ½ dozen bite size potatoes. It was perfect for a small Sunday dinner gathering I had with my friends. In fact, it was so good that I’ve decided to try it when I visit my family in Louisiana for Christmas.
This dish was so much fun to make, and I hope you have as much fun as I did while making it. Be careful, we did have a few people in my house fight for the last piece. Happy Holidays, everyone!
I found this recipe at https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/bite-sized-holiday-appetizers/view-all/.
