Mexican stuffed sweet potato is all the flavours of a great spicy taco inside a double-baked sweet potato. An easy homemade spicy taco mix to season the meat, a few fresh tomato dice, crunchy lettuce and cheddar and a final smooth touch of sour cream.
After a long winter, it’s time to call mother nature for some sun. No better way to bring the heat back than a nice spicy taco, right? What if we merge it into a lovely crunchy, Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potato? The spicy taco mix goes to perfection with the sweetness of the potato, plus you get some excellent fresh and crunchy toppings and sour cream to make it taste fully like a Taco.
Homemade Taco Spice-Mix
No need to go buy a “Mexican spice mix” at the store; this excellent taco seasoning is often already in your pantry! A simple mix of cumin powder, coriander powder, cayenne pepper, spicy paprika, oregano or dry cilantro, pepper and salt, and there you have the perfect taco mix. Often homemade Tex-Mex or Mexican seasoning contains onion powder and garlic powder; well, for this recipe, I’ve used fresh onion and garlic, which gives a fresh touch to the meat.
To finish the meat seasoning, I added a bit of “salsa de Chili Chipotle,” which is easy to find at any supermarket and a touch of cornstarch that helps protect the meat from getting tough and chewy and picks up the leftover juice from the Chipotle sauce. I’ve added the spices at the end of the cooking process because some spices (like paprika) can burn and give a sour taste if overcooked. I suggest adding the spice mix one or two minutes before the meat is done.
The Technique
A fluffy inside with crunchy skin is the goal! The best way for your potato to get those two winning attributes is to cook it whole in aluminum paper and let it cook for about an hour (depending on the size, check it out with a stab to the heart;) and then once cooked… you scoop some of the potato flesh out and mash it with butter or keep it for a potato salad or a tortilla. To make the extra skin crisp, you’ll need a touch of oil over the skin and a sprinkle of salt, then broil the potato skin side up until it gets nice and crunchy.
The Toppings
The stuffing is Mexican-flavored meat and some lettuce, tomato, sour cream and cheese toppings. You could have some extra Pico de Gallo, guacamole, caramelized onion, or other popular taco toppings.
To Serve with
So let’s get the heat going!
Baked Twice Sweet Potato a la Mexicana
Ingredients
- 2 big sweet potatoes
The Meat
- 300 g ground meat (pork and/or beef)
- 1/2 yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 1 garlic clove ( finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp salsa de Chili Chipotle
- 2 tbsp canola oil (any vegetable oil to fry)
- salt and pepper
The Taco Spice-Mix
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- t tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- salt and pepper
Toppings (to taste)
- lettuce
- tomato (diced)
- cheddar cheese (or Monterey Jack)
- sour cream
- chives
Instructions
- Start by cleaning the potatoes, pat them dry, give them a halfway-through cut on the length and cover them with aluminum paper. Cook at 180°C (350F°) for an hour or until tender in the center. Cover the skin with a bit of oil (I use olive oil) and sprinkle some salt. Broil skin side up for 10 to 12 minutes until crisp.
- During the last 10 minutes of the potato, make the meat; Start by cooking in a pan, for 5-7 minutes at medium-low heat, with the onion in some olive oil and salt until translucent.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper, and bring the pan to medium-high heat. Add a touch of oil and garlic. Once the pan is hot, add the ground meat and cook at medium-high heat until almost cooked; add the spice mix and the salsa de Chili Chipotle and mix well until cooked. Reserve.
- Once the skin of the sweet potato is crispy, add it to a plate and fill it with the seasoned Mexican meat. Let people serve their own toppings at the table; lettuce, tomato, cheddar, sour cream and chives.
31 Comments
I love twice baked potatoes, I can’t believe I’ve never tried it with sweet potatoes! Love the taco twist you gave these.
Spicy and sweet is my favorite combination;) Thanks for the comment!
This is a nice take on twice cooked potatoes. It looks very fresh and inviting. And I love your taco spice mix. And your photos are fabulous. A very nice job!
Thanks!
wow, that’s a great recipe!
I absolutely love this idea! What a fun, unique twist!
I’m always in the mood for a tasty taco (even when it’s not taco Tuesday. . .high fives to that!!!). Loving how you ditched the shell & made sweet potato tacos.
Hope you ll try it out;)
You know, we love having a baked potato for a meal. Stuff it full of goodness and tasty seasonings and you have a full meal deal. Perfect for any night of the week….and a true family pleasing meal.
Ya! Pretty fulfilling and the kids will love this!
i have tried sweet potato fries and liked the mild sweetness. I m sure baked potatoes will have a nice flavour with a touch of sweetness. this is perfect for my son
This is looking really delicious! I wouldn’t have thought about sweet potato with chipotle, but I love the inclusion of homemade taco spice mix. I always try to avoid the storebought stuff. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks
I always appreciate making your own spices, and you’re absolutely right, all the ingredients are already in our pantry. They look so yummy, these twice baked sweet potatoes with a Mexican twist!
Thanks guys!
I really miss good Mexican food – I haven’t found any here in London (yet) 🙁
I look forward to trying this, it looks yummy, thanks!
I only like sweet potatoes when they are prepared in a savory fashion which makes this perfect for me!!
I like them especially with spicy fillings to balance all that sweetness. Thanks for passing by!
I need to try doing more things with sweet potatoes. I love them, yet I don’t really do a lot with them. Frankly anything dressed up with Mexican ingredients is good in my books, and I adore twice-baked potatoes, so this sounds like it’s right up my alley. Cheers!
Don t we all love Mexican!? Thanks for the comment Sean!
This is my kind of food, I love baked sweet potatoes and Mexican flavours. A great idea to combine the two, delicious.
This sounds faaaaantastic! I love jazzed up sweet potatoes. I grew up with my Ma serving up the usual mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup/brown sugar. Though they’re delish, now that I’ve come to learn to incorporate more flavors into sweet potato dishes, they’re just *so* much more excited. I love the flavor profile here!
I need this in my life! It’s like a stuffed pepper, without the pepper and something I much rather be eating it in, a potato!
It’s definitely a life satisfier! Enhance by a lot the quality of life!
I am completely with you about the spice mix. I never get why anyone buys taco seasoning since you can make it to suit your own taste so easily. Anyway, this is such a terrific idea for dinner. I’m even going to see if my kids will go for it. I know I will!
I m sure they are gonna go for it!
Great idea. BRAVO! Very creative spin on twice baked potatoes!
Thanks!
How have I not thought of this? I feel like all we eat is potatoes and Mexican. I’m adding this to my dinner list this week!
Let me know how he goes;)
Without words, only with the sight I am already hungry.