Pear Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

YIELD: 12 SERVINGS

6 lbs. sweet potatoes, scrubbed
¼ cup roasted garlic puree
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
3 cups goat cheese, room temperature
3 cups canned pears, drained (reserve juice), diced
½-¾ cup reserved pear juice
¾ cup chives, minced

1. Scrub sweet potatoes and poke them in several places with a fork. Place on sheetpan.

2. Roast potatoes in a 400°F conventional or 350°F convection oven for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the heat and cool almost to room temperature.

3. Cut the top third off of the sweet potatoes and gently scoop out filling leaving skins intact and a thin layer of potato in the skin. Lay the hollowed skins, with scooped-side up, on a greased sheetpan.

4. Place sweet potato meat and garlic in a mixer equipped with a paddle and mix until smooth. Add butter and ginger and blend. Add cheese and reserved pear juice and mix well. Fold in diced pears and re-stuff mixture into the reserved potato shells*.

5. Bake stuffed potatoes in a 400°F conventional or 350°F convection oven 12-16 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle potatoes with chives to serve.

*Mixture can also be transferred into ramekins or a lightly greased half steamtable pan and baked 18-20 minutes.

Recipe and photo: Pacific Northwest Canned Pears