Baked Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Pancetta and Vegetables

Break out the sweet potatoes for baking and whip up this topping with crispy pancetta and vegetables. This easy meal is a delight.

As we round the corner on September and draw nearer to fall, I am thinking about (and making) warm foods for all meals. Oatmeal for breakfast. Lentil soup for lunch. Pasta for dinner.

This recipe for Baked Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Pancetta and Vegetables has autumn written all over it. You have the sweet, tender mashed flesh of baked sweet potatoes coupled with the salty, crispy pancetta vegetable topping.

It’s sweet and salty, creamy and crispy — totally delightful in its contrasts of flavors and textures.

To make this, begin with several clean sweet potatoes. Look for medium sized ones — it sounds subjective, but a medium sweet potato is about 4-5 inches long. Avoid monster ones that take longer to cook and are too much for one person to eat.

Now, prep those for baking and get ’em started.

Now, while the potatoes are baking (as they near their conclusion), start the topping. You’ll first brown the pancetta. Remove the bits of meat to a bowl leaving about two tablespoons of the fat behind. Excess fat can be discarded.

Then add the vegetables to the skillet.

Let those cook until their crisp and browned. Then drain the excess fat and stir the pancetta back in.

Your topping is ready.

Open the potatoes with a criss-cross cut, give them a squeeze and mash the insides a bit with a fork. Then spoon the crispy pancetta vegetable topping onto them.

Now, serve. These are delightful, warm and cozy. Plus, they are super filling. But if you wanted to serve them with something, a green salad is just the ticket.