Looking for an easy weeknight meal or a twist on a traditional holiday side dish, this chorizo and kale sweet potato skins recipe is just for you! The spicy chorizo, soft wilted kale, creamy melted cheese all stuffed into a sweet potato makes the most satisfying bite, jam-packed with flavor. It’s an easy recipe for any busy weeknight and can even be prepped ahead.
The combination of the warm cozy spices with the chorizo fills the kitchen with an irresistible fragrance that warms the soul (and will make anyone hungry).
Baking the Sweet Potatoes
I have found that today’s microwaves have perfected the “potato” setting. It’s quicker, easier, and usually the most precise way to achieve the perfect baked potato (sweet or regular).
Leaving the potatoes whole, poke a few fork holes around the potatoes and put them on an microwave safe plate. Place them in the microwave and press your “potato” setting – it should then determine the time needed for your potatoes, and this will differ, I believe, based on size. For my three potatoes it took about 18 minutes.
Once they are baked, cooled enough to handle (but still piping hot), cut them lengthwise and scoop out the inside. You want to leave about 1/4 inch wall of the sweet potato around the edges so that the potato skins keep their shape and don’t fall apart once you add in the filling.
You can save the inside filling to make mashed sweet potatoes or to serve them with a sprinkle of cinnamon as a side for another meal. It also freezes well.
To Save Time/Make Ahead
To help manage on-your-feet kitchen time, while the potatoes are cooking, you can use that time to brown your chorizo and prep your kale by stripping the leaves off the stems and ripping them into bite size pieces. Once your chorizo is browned with the butter, shallot and spices you will remove it from the pan and wilt your kale – set it all aside until you’re ready to stuff your sweet potato skins.
To make ahead – perfect for a Sunday prep day, you can complete all the of recipe steps 1- 6, cover and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. When you’re ready to serve, bring out of the refrigerator, rest on the counter to let the chill come off of it while the oven preheats to 350F. Sprinkle on your shredded cheese. Bake covered with foil or 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until hot all the way through.
Chorizo and Kale Sweet Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 3 Sweet Potatoes
- 1 TBSP Butter
- ½ pound Chorizo – ground or removed from links
- 1 Shallot – minced approx. 1/4 cup
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Fresh Thyme
- 1 TBSP Olive Oil
- 1 ½ cups Kale – stripped from stems and in bite size pieces
- ½ tsp Salt – divided
- 1 ½ cups Monetary Jack Cheese – shredded
- Green Onions – thinly sliced for garnish
Instructions
- Using a fork, poke holes into your sweet potatoes. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the microwave, bake your sweet potatoes. See blog notes.
- In a pan, over medium heat, add your butter, chorizo, shallot, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme and ¼ tsp salt. Sauté and brown your chorizo until your shallot is soft, fragrant and your chorizo is cooked through.
- Once your sweet potatoes are baked through and cool enough to handle but still hot, cut them open and scoop out the sweet potato leaving about a ¼ inch wall of potato.
- Once your chorizo mixture is cooked, remove from the pan. In the same pan, over medium heat, add olive oil and your kale. Wilt down the kale and ¼ tsp salt until bright green and soft, remove from heat and set aside.
- Assemble your sweet potato skins. Scoop in your chorizo mixture and kale.
- Add your shredded cheese.
- Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Garnish with green onions.
