Make Sweet Potatoes A Full Meal By Topping Them With This Hearty Comfort Food
Sweet potatoes are tasty, comforting, and nutrient-rich. Their harvest season is the fall, and they're a fall and winter staple with their warming flavor profile, so it's likely this root vegetable will be on your grocery list in the near future.
The secret is to combine them with chili. The hearty, spicy stew is the ingredient that will change your sweet potatoes for the better. Chili bulks the sweet potato up, and the sweet potato does the same for the chili. Beyond being filling, they complement each other beautifully. The root veggie is a starchy balance to the chili's savoriness, spice, and heat. It brings out some sweetness and adds complexity — roasted sweet potatoes are especially delicious with their caramelized edges, and those pair like a dream with fiery spices and the umami of meat and beans.
This is about to join the list of your all-time favorite sweet potato recipes, and it's pretty easy. First, pop your sweet spuds into the oven for about an hour at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. While they're baking, make your preferred chili. Alternatively, make the chili first and, while it's cooking, heat the potatoes in the microwave for roughly 12 to 15 minutes. When the potatoes are ready, cut them open vertically and give the creamy interior a little mash before spooning on a hefty serving of chili.
Customizing sweet potatoes and chili
The decision to oven-bake or microwave your sweet potatoes comes down to time and convenience. This also factors into the chili you choose. Make your own, or choose from one of the best canned chilis. The possibilities are endless. Make classic beef chili, turkey chili, vegetarian chili, or white chicken chili. Get fancy and cook up beef chili with pancetta, ancho, and chocolate.
There's a good chance you've had chili-topped baked potatoes before, but sweet potatoes level things up. Not only do they bring more flavor with their earthy sweetness, but they boast fiber, potassium, vitamins A and C, and antioxidants, helping with everything from gut health and eye and heart wellness to possible cancer prevention. They've even been found to be more nutritious than regular potatoes.
You can try all different chilis with your sweet potatoes to keep this meal fresh. That also gives you the opportunity to play around with toppings. The classic chili fixings are cheddar cheese — which you should melt a little by popping the chili-smothered spuds back into the oven for a moment — with sour cream and chives. But you could also try something nutty like Gruyère with a turkey chili, and even add caramelized onions. A cheese with a little more tang, like feta, is a great complement to sweet potato's sweetness, and partners well with toppings like spinach or kale. Fresh radishes add piquant flavor and crunch, while fresh herbs like cilantro and basil bring in some botanical zest.
