5 Ingredient Easy Sweet Potato Skins – A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Sharing is caring!

Say goodbye to plain old potato skins and hello to these 5 Ingredient Easy Sweet Potato Skins.  They’re sure to be a hit with family and friends.

 

This is the recipe that is my claim to fame. From an idea hatched at a local restaurant to a contest winning entry, this recipe really made me realize I had some interesting ideas for food. And those ideas sometimes win prizes. This idea got me on Emeril LIVE! And it was the most unique recipe on the show. At least I think it was the most unique recipe. The rest of the winners had recipes I’ve either tried before or was a traditional recipe that many others already knew about.

 

Who invented potato skins?

 

There are quite a few restaurants that claim to have created this American favorite. I think the leaders is TGI Fridays, but Prime Rib and RJ Grunts also claim to have created this delicious appetizer. They surfaced around the mid 1970s. The traditional recipe is potatoes that are baked and then hollowed and stuffed with bacon, cheese, and onions before being baked again. I know. My mouth is watering, too. All that potato and cheesy bacon goodness!

 

 

What ingredients are in sweet potato skins?

 

I don’t remember how we got on the top of sweet potato skins. I remember we used to go dancing at this bar/restaurant. It wasn’t far from the house and was a favorite hot spot for those that liked to go country dancing. This included line dancing. Because when I was in college it was a physical education course we could take. And I loved it so much I convinced the family to seek out a place to go dancing.

 

We used to get potato skins as an appetizer. And they had roasted sweet potatoes as a side dish for your meal. I think that’s how we got to the topic of sweet potato skins. What would you use to make sweet potato skins was the question asked at the table. We toyed around with some interesting combinations.

 

 

We settled on some brie and walnuts in syrup. Yes. I know. This calls for pecans. I’ll get there. You see, there is an ice cream topping from Smuckers that has walnuts in syrup. The syrup is simply corn syrup. I see some of you turning up your nose at it. While that was the original idea, it wasn’t the winning recipe.

 

The final winning recipe, and yes, I did win a contest with it, had sweet potato skins, walnuts, maple syrup, and butter. Lots of butter. I’ll get to that in a bit, too. We suggested many different cheese, but landed on the buttery and delicious brie. The walnuts for texture and the maple syrup to elevate the sweetness of the potato and compliment the brie and walnuts.

 

 

How do you prepare sweet potato skins?

 

To prepare sweet potato skins you first have to bake the potatoes. Try not to over bake them because they will bake again to get crispy. I baked mine in my air fryer. I love my air fryer. Always start by washing your potatoes. I use a vegetable brush to scrub them free of any dirt that may be stuck in the nooks and crannies.

 

Next, I dry them off and then stab them with a fork. This allows the steam to escape and prevents the potatoes from having a meltdown in the oven or air fryer. This happens more with sweet potatoes than regular potatoes in my experience. After I stab them, I rub them with olive oil and give a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

 

 
At this point, I popped them into my air fryer at 400 for 20 minutes. Now, I will caveat that my sweet potatoes were smaller than most. I purchased a bag of Simply Perfect sweet potatoes. They were approximately 6 to 7 inches long but they were about 3 to maybe 4 inches in circumference. So, not as big as I’ve seen them before. The larger the potato, the longer it will take to bake. Just throwing that out there.

 

The fork shouldn’t go through the potatoes super easily. There needs to be a little resistance when pulling the fork out of the potato. After scooping out most of the flesh of the potato, you’re going to roast them again. That’s why you don’t want them thoroughly cooked after roasting. Brush them with melted butter and pop them back into the air fryer at 400 for 10 to 15 minutes or until the skins are crisp.

 

 

The rest is smooth sailing! Drizzle them with some maple syrup, sprinkle with the pecans for this version or walnuts, pistachios, whatever nut you want! Top the nuts with some slices of brie cheese. I usually remove the rinds because melted slices of brie with the rind on look weird. Then the sweet potato skins to back into the air fryer at 400 for 5 to 10 minutes or until the brie cheese bubbles with melted goodness.

 

Before serving, I drizzle them with a little more butter and a little more maple syrup. You could sprinkle them with chopped chives for a little green color. Or a little sea salt to cut some of the sweet and richness of these sweet potato skins.

 

 

How can you customize your sweet potato skins?

 

Well, for those who enjoy a bit of heat you can sprinkle some cayenne pepper to provide a spicy kick. Or garnish with some slices of jalapenos! The sweet potatoes and rich brie would truly lend themselves to a spicy kick and elevate these already delicious potato skins.

 

I’m sure some were expecting all the sweet spices in there. I never had brown sugar or cinnamon on the roasted sweet potato. I think the potatoes are deliciously sweet without all that added sugar, but if you like those on your potato then by all means add that to these! Sprinkle your sweet potato skins with some cinnamon or nutmeg to infuse your sweet potato skins with warm and comforting spices. The beauty of sweet potato skins is that you can customize the ingredients to suit your personal preferences and experiment with various flavor combinations.

 

 

How do sweet potato skins taste?

 

Sweet potato skins boast a subtly sweet and earthy taste that compliments the rest of the ingredients in this recipe. The skins are slightly crispy on the outside with a tender and creamy center, creating a satisfying contrast of textures. Then you add in the salty and rich butter and sweet maple syrup. Both contrasting flavors in these skins. Finally, the crunchy sweetness of the pecans plays against the salty and creamy brie. All these ingredients make these sweet potato skins a decadently delicious appetizer for your game day!

 

Don’t like brie? Then try some Gruyere cheese with its salty goodness. Or Camembert cheese. It’s similar to brie. You could use mozzarella, but it wouldn’t have that depth of flavor brie cheese does. A Gouda or smoked Gouda would also be a great cheese to try with these sweet potato skins. Either way you top them, just try them for your game day! Your family and friends will love them!

Potato Lover Recipes

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!