Bacon Sweet Potato Sexytime!

I love bacon and I love sweet potatoes, especially after a workout. I ate a predominantly meat free diet for over three years and during that time the smell of bacon would drive me wild. A fellow crossfitter gave me a wonderful recipe and while making it, I thought some of the key ingredients would make a great meal by themselves.  I love this recipe since it makes enough for me to eat for a few meals. For an added complexity you can add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup before baking. I give you Bacon Sweet Potato Sexytime!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

Serves: 3-5

Ingredients:

2 Large or three Medium Sweet Potatoes

1 Pkg Uncured Nitrite and Nitrate Free Bacon (approx. 1 lb.)

1 Onion

3 Cloves Garlic

½ Tsp each of Black Pepper, Kosher Salt, Smoked Paprika

1 Cup chopped Pecans

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes and place in microwave steamer bag. Dice onions and garlic and set aside. Slice bacon into ½” pieces and sauté in a large skillet. Once the bacon begins to render fat, about 3-4 minutes, add in the onions and garlic; stirring until mixed well with bacon and bacon fat. Continue to sauté for 4-5 minutes. During this time, steam the sweet potatoes in the microwave for 5 minutes. When the sweet potatoes are steamed, they should be soft enough to pierce with a fork but not mushy.  Add the sweet potatoes to the bacon mixture and stir until everything is even coated with bacon fat and mixed well. Add in the black pepper, salt and paprika and stir. Top with pecans and place the skillet in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring once during the baking period. If you do not have a skillet that is oven safe, you can transfer the mixture to a baking dish prior to adding the pecans.

To serve, simply spoon 1-1.5 cups per serving into a bowl.