Sweet Potato Sausage Spread with toasted baguettes
Ingredients
- 2 cups of diced sweet potatoes (about a ¼ of an inch cubed)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- ¼ small onion, chopped (¼ cup)
- 1 small sweet red bell pepper (¼ cup)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 4 ounces Colby jack cheese, shredded
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can
- Italian diced tomatoes (slightly drained)
- 1 French loaf baguette
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- ½ cup of olive oil
- 1–2 ounces of parmesan cheese
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
Combine olive oil and cayenne pepper. Toss sweet potatoes gently to coat. Spread evenly on a baking pan and bake 350 degrees for 35–40 minutes or until tender, stirring if needed.
-
In a medium frying pan, add sausage, chopped onion and chopped red bell pepper. Cook until brown. Drain grease and press garlic into sausage mixture. Cook for 2–3 minutes.
-
Add cream cheese, ¼ cup of Colby Jack cheese, roasted sweet potatoes and canned tomatoes. Stir until well blended. Add sausage mixture to a small baking dish.
-
Top with the remaining Colby jack cheese, and bake until cheese is melted, approximately 5 minutes.
-
For toasted baguettes, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut loaf in quarter-inch slices. In a small bowl, add Italian seasoning to olive oil and mix well.
-
Brush olive oil mixture onto each slice of bread and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle finely shredded parmesan cheese to cover bread pieces. Toast for 7 minutes.
The North Carolina Sweet Potato
North Carolina grows more sweet potatoes than any other state. They sweeten the state’s economy, too, yielding a crop worth $324 million in 2019. Dig up some more sweet facts about our state's official vegetable!