Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes With Pecans

“This is a great holiday side dish because the potatoes can be microwaved in just 15 minutes. Sweet potatoes are at their best when combined with something sweet. The thought was to take the flavors reminiscent of a cinnamon-infused pecan coffee cake topping and pair them with sweet potatoes for a change from the more traditional marshmallow topped casserole.” –Alex Guarnaschelli

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4  large sweet potatoes, about 3 lbs
• 1⁄2 cup  melted unsalted butter, divided
• 1  teaspoon orange zest, packed
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3⁄4 cup  Fisher® Pecan Halves, coarsely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave on HIGH for 15 minutes or until completely cooked through. Let rest 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
3. Topping: Meanwhile, combine the pecans, flour, sugars, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoons salt. Stir to blend. Mix in 1/4 cup butter. The topping should form sandy clumps. Refrigerate.
4. Split the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out some of the flesh inside. Arrange the sweet potato “halves” on a baking sheet. In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potato flesh with the remaining 1/4 cup butter, orange zest and 1/2 teaspoons salt. Spoon the filling back into each potato half and top with the topping on a baking tray. Place the tray in the center of the oven and bake until the topping browns, 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.