Preheat oven to 180C

Rub each whole sweet potato with olive oil and place on a lined baking tray and baked for approx 40mins until the potato is cooked through, making sure to turn often so that don’t burn or get browned. A skewer will go through easily all the way when cooked. Remove from oven when cooked and allow to cool. 

While the sweet potato is cooking, add a little oil to a deep frypan and cook the onion over low heat until translucent then add the sweet capsicums, garlic, chilli and bacon and cook through.

Once the bacon is cooked cooked, add the cumin, tomato paste and chickpeas (or red kidney beans) and heat through. Take off the heat.

When the cooked sweet potato is cooled, cut the potato in half length wise and carefully using a spoon, remove the flesh from the skin, making sure that you do not break the skin as the skin is the part that you will now fill.

Place the scooped out sweet potato flesh into a bowl and mash roughly. Add the bacon, onion, bean mixture and stir through with most of the cheese. Using clean hands or a spoon, now fill each potato skin with this mixture making sure that it is pushed into the corners and mounded upwards. Your hands are a good way to push it together and mold the shape.

Place each potato half, filled side up back onto the lined baking tray and sprinkle the top with a little extra cheese. Place back in the hot oven for approx 15 minutes to heat through and melt the cheese.

Serve with a side green salad.

By: Chrissy Rob