As a kid I was always super excited to find out that my grandma had made Twice Baked Potatoes when I was visiting. As an adult, she cooked them for me every time I visited.  Her recipe was simple: a baked potato, cheese, butter and a little Lawry’s (which she used in everything), mix together and re bake until the top was crispy. It was one of the first things I learned how to make and I impressed many people with them over the years. Over the years I modified it and added chopped broccoli or mushrooms. Check out my Double Baked Potato.

Today’s recipe is something slightly different.  I have twice baked a sweet potato. For the record, I never liked sweet potatoes or yams until I was about 30 years old and the same grandma as mentioned above had baked herself one while she was baking my cheesy potato. She cut it open and ate it with just butter. It was amazing. I still do not like the sweet potato casseroles with the marshmallows and brown sugar or however people make them…it is way too sweet for me.

These potatoes are super simple yet time consuming. The sweet of the potato is well balanced with the tartness of the fresh cranberries. In the past I have made them with a mushroom sage gravy like the one shown here but tonight we ate them on there own which was just as tasty!

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
3lbs sweet potatoes
4 oz vegan cream cheese
2 tbs vegan butter
1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries (put aside two or three for each potato top)

Stab each potato a few times with a fork. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or use a casserole dish and put the potatoes on/in it. Bake at 400 degree for 45 to 60 minutes. They need to be slightly tender to the touch but not too soft.
As soon as they are cool enough to handle but still warm (do not allow them to cool all the way,) slice off a thin top layer of the potato. With a small spoon gently scoop out the potatoes into a bowl making sure not to break through the bottom skin.  Keep skins to re-stuff.

Add cream cheese and butter and with a potato masher mash until well blended. Gently fold in cranberries. Stuff mixture into each potato skin so that they are over stuffed. top each potato with two/three cranberries. Bake potatoes for 30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.