Step 1

To make the roasted sweetpotatoes, preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Pierce each sweetpotato several times with a fork and arrange the sweetpotatoes on the baking sheet. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until the sweetpotatoes are tender when squeezed with an oven mitt on or when pierced with a fork. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut partway through the potato lengthwise and then crosswise to open it up. Mash the insides a little with a fork if you like. Top as desired (see instructions below) and serve hot.

Step 2

To make a breakfast sweetpotato, cook the bacon pieces in a small cast-iron skillet over medium heat until crisp, and then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Raise the heat to medium high. Carefully crack the egg into the bacon grease and cook for 1-2 minutes, carefully spooning some of the fat onto the top of the whites if desired, until the edges of the whites are browned and crisp and the yolk is cooked to your liking. Transfer the egg to the paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle the bacon onto a roasted sweetpotato, put the egg on top, and sprinkle with chives, salt, and pepper.

Step 3

To make a pesto chicken sweetpotato, begin by toasting the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown. Transfer the nuts to a plate to cool. Mix the chicken, pesto, and cream (if using) in a small bowl. Stuff a roasted sweetpotato with the pesto chicken and top with pine nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 4

To make a chorizo avocado sweetpotato, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat with a spatula, until browned and cooked through. Top a roasted sweetpotato with the chorizo, tomato, red onion, cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of lime. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 5

To make a garlic shrimp sweetpotato, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to brown slightly. Push the garlic to the sides, raise the heat to medium, add the shrimp, and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, or until cooked and opaque throughout. Season generously with salt and pepper. Top a roasted sweetpotato with the shrimp, garlic, and a little bit of the oil from the pan.

Step 6

To make a spiced almond butter & honey sweetpotato, mix the almond butter, 1 teaspoon of honey, ginger, allspice, and salt in a small ovenproof bowl. Place the bowl in the oven with the roasting sweetpotatoes for about 5 minutes, or microwave it briefly until warm. Stir in the water. Drizzle the spiced almond butter on top of a roasted sweetpotato, sprinkle on the sliced almonds, and drizzle on the remaining teaspoon of honey.* Diabetes friendly

Step 7

To make an apple walnut sweetpotato, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring frequently, until the apples have softened somewhat and the liquid in the pan has reduced and become syrupy. Spoon the apple-walnut mixture into a roasted sweetpotato and drizzle with additional maple syrup if desired.