Smoky Sweet Potato Mash with Chicken & Bacon

The original recipe that I wanted to make for this particular night's dinner didn't work out as planned, so I made this up as I went. You could say I went rogue on a potato. This actually turned out amazingly well, bursting with smoky flavor from the chipotle, and creamy from the addition of goat cheese. I didn't think a delicious pile of mashed sweet potato would suffice as a whole meal on itself, though I would have happily eaten this and only this for the rest of the month. That's why I added some grilled chicken and crumbled bacon on top. The final product was more than I ever expected, and will definitely be on the menu again soon!

Smoky Sweet Potato Mash with Chicken & Bacon

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 oz. goat cheese
• 2 tsp. chipotle sauce from canned chipotle in adobo
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped
• 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly and poke with a fork all over. Wrap tightly with tin foil and bake for 45-60 minutes until soft. 

Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, remove flesh from sweet potatoes, discarding the skin. Add sweet potato to a medium bowl with goat cheese, chipotle sauce, salt, and pepper. Mash well with a hand masher or rice mill.

Spoon half of the sweet potato mixture on to a plate. Top with half of the chopped chicken and half of the bacon. Repeat with the remaining sweet potato, chicken, and bacon. Serve hot.