Breakfast Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Have the taste of fall all year round with creamy twice-baked sweet potatoes mixed with flavorful breakfast sausage and topped with a sunny-side-up egg.
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Jump to What You Need
- About Breakfast Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- What’s in breakfast twice-baked sweet potatoes?
- Sweet potatoes vs yams
- Can these be made in advance?
- How long are these twice-baked potatoes good for?
- Can you freeze these baked breakfast potatoes?
- Notes & tips for breakfast twice-baked sweet potatoes
- More great side dishes
- Recipe Details
About Breakfast Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Enjoy twice-baked sweet potatoes for breakfast with this easy recipe that infuses the delicate softness of sweet potatoes with savory breakfast sausage and a sunny-side-up egg.
What’s in breakfast twice-baked sweet potatoes?
In order to make your own breakfast potatoes in the morning, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Sweet potatoes – The star of the show! Their tender texture, bright orange color, and semi-sweet flavor are what make this side dish so popular.
- Ground sausage – Adds a popular breakfast protein that pairs well with the sweet potato. I kept this part simple and used a flavored roll of breakfast pork.
- Milk and mozzarella – For adding creaminess and cheesiness. You can substitute the mozzarella for other types of cheese if you’d like.
- Egg – Because every breakfast dish needs and egg.
- Salt, black pepper, and parsley – Classicly delicious seasonings.
Sweet potatoes vs yams
Although sometimes used interchangeably, there are quite a few differences between sweet potatoes and true yams that can impact your cooking. And notice I said “true yams”, as many American grocery stores add to the confusion by labeling some sweet potatoes “yams” despite the fact that true yams are nothing like sweet potatoes at all.
Confused? You and me both!
In short, this is the Cliff Notes version of what’s going on with these potatoes and how to tell them apart:
- True yams – These are more like a russet sweet potato. They have white flesh with brown scaly skin and a dry, starchy taste. They’re typically grown outside of the United States, making them difficult to find in American grocery stores.
- Sweet potatoes – A firm sweet potato with golden skin and light or purple flesh. This is the type of sweet potato that was originally grown in the United States.
- Sweet potatoes that grocery stores call yams – A soft sweet potato with copper skin and golden flesh. Odds are, this is the type of sweet potato you see most often, simply because the soft texture works so well with many of the sweet potato dishes Americans traditionally make. And as for why they’re called yams, it comes down to marketing. The softer sweet potato was the second type of potato grown in the United States, and grocery stores wanted to differentiate this somehow to their customers… and instead of simply calling them firm or soft, they decided to call them yams – a type of potato they are nothing like, but since the “true” form is not commonly sold in the US, the name was seen as “available.”
There are other differences (nutritional value, various names, etc) but the above three points are the ones you need to consider when making substitutions in your cooking.
Given the above, a sweet potato (or a vegetable that looks like a sweet potato but has been labeled a yam) would be a better fit for dishes that use ingredients like brown sugar or maple syrup, while either true yams or sweet potatoes can be used for more savory dishes. The only real difference is that true yams may have a flavor and consistency closer to a white potato than a sweet potato.
So, in conclusion: In most cases, true yams can be substituted for sweet potatoes in savory dishes, but the taste and flavor may remind you more of white potatoes than sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes (and vegetables that look like sweet potatoes but have been labeled yams) are still preferred.
Can these be made in advance?
Yes, these sweet potatoes can be made in advance, but with a small catch:
Follow the recipe instructions like normal, but stop just before adding the raw egg and baking the potatoes a second time. Store the potatoes in a sealed container for up to two to three days.
When ready to bake, pick up from where you left off in the recipe instructions, but be aware that you may need to increase the cooking time so that the potatoes get heated through.
How long are these twice-baked potatoes good for?
Bad news here, guys. Due to the sunny-side-up style eggs in this dish, I can’t recommend storing the leftovers, as the egg will only become overcooked and rubbery when it is reheated. For best results, plan on enjoying these the day they are made.
Can you freeze these baked breakfast potatoes?
Yes, they totally can! Potatoes are great for freezing and these twice-baked potatoes are no exception.
Follow the recipe instructions like normal, but stop just before adding the raw egg and baking the potatoes a second time. Place the prepared potatoes on a baking tray and freeze for about two hours. Once frozen, individually wrap the potatoes (use whatever you like most – foil, plastic wrap, or just plastic bags) and store in the freezer. Frozen sweet potatoes can last for up to 12 months.
When ready to bake, allow the sweet potatoes to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then allow them to come to room temperature. Place the sweet potato halves on a baking sheet and pick up where you left off in the recipe instructions. Note that you may need to increase the cooking time by a few minutes so the potatoes get heated through.
Notes & tips for breakfast twice-baked sweet potatoes
- For best results, use sweet potatoes that are long and wide.
- Before baking, be sure to scrub and dry the sweet potatoes (even if you don’t plan on eating the skin.)
- There’s no need to wrap the sweet potatoes in foil; they’ll bake perfectly uncovered on the baking sheet.
More great side dishes
Breakfast Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potato, scrubbed and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, optional
- 12 ounce ground sausage, like a pork breakfast roll
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, or other cheese of your choice
- 8 large egg
- 1 pinch black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then set aside.
- Coat sweet potatoes in olive oil and pierce skins numerous times with a fork. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.4 large sweet potato
- Bake sweet potatoes for 40-50 minutes or until soft and skins are slightly wrinkled.
- While sweet potatoes cook, brown and crumble sausage in a large skillet over medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until no longer pink. Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of sausage grease (to taste) and drain the rest. Set sausage aside.12 ounce ground sausage
- When sweet potatoes are done cooking, remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 375°F.
- When cool enough to handle, slice potatoes down the side, taking care to make sure the potatoes halves will be able to sit upright on their own.
- Using a spoon, scoop out the insides of sweet potatoes and place them in a large bowl, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch of potato flesh around the edges (so that the sweet potatoes look like a bowl). Place potato skins back on the baking sheet and set aside for now.
- Mash the removed sweet potato flesh, either with a potato masher, 2 forks, or with a hand mixer on low speed. Remove any pieces of sweet potato that are too tough or not cooked through enough.
- Pour milk and sausage grease in with mashed sweet potatoes, then stir until milk and grease are absorbed. Add cheese and sausage to bowl and fold in with sweet potato until combined.1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- Using a large spoon, scoop out sausage sweet potato mix and spread within prepared sweet potato skins. When sweet potato skins are full, use the back of a spoon to create a well within the filling, large and deep enough to hold an egg.
- Crack 1 egg within each well of the sweet potato skins. It’s okay if some of the egg white spills over.8 large egg
- Place prepared sweet potatoes back in the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until egg whites are opaque.
- Garnish potato skins with salt, pepper, and parsley, to taste.1 pinch salt, 1 pinch black pepper, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- Serve as desired.
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
