Baked Sweet Potatoes with Maple Jalapeno Sour Cream

My Mama Bird made these and absolutely loved them! She passed on the recipe to me and boy, oh boy, are they wonderful! Here's a little twist on the meat and potatoes meal (that is so much my favorite!).

This little sweet potato number is so easy, but so absolutely fantastic. J loved it and made a point to stress it needs to be repeated (please note: he always compliments what I make, but does not always emphasize a repeat).

Ingredients:

• 1 (BIG) sweet potato
• Vegetable oil
• Dash of salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup 
• 2 teaspoons seeded, minced jalapeno (I used jarred, because fresh stuff burns my hands and face) 
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• Tabasco sauce (to taste) 
• Bacon bits
• Sliced scallions

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 f with rack in center position
2. Rub sweet potatoes with oil and salt. 
3. Bake the potatoes directly on the rack until soft when pierced (40-45 minutes) 
4. Combine sour cream, maple syrup, jalapeno, lime juice, salt, and tabasco; chill until ready to serve.
5. Serve potatoes with sour cream mixture, bacon bits, and scallions. 

J made the marinade for the steak... He loves to do that part of it and he then grilled it on the George Foreman. Here's his marinade recipe!

J's Tangy Teriyaki Steak Marinade

Ingredients:

• Steak (we always get London Broil because it works so perfectly for this!) 
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 spoonfuls of minced garlic 
• A couple shakes of garlic salt
• Dash of black pepper

Directions: 

1. Cut the steak into 3 inch wide strips if you are going to make it on a George Foreman... It makes cooking easier!
2. Put the steak in a plastic gallon size bag 
3. Add all of the ingredients with the steak. 
4. Seal the bag making sure to squeeze out some of the extra air. 
5. Squish around the ingredients and meat to ensure it's all mixed together completely. 
6. Let sit overnight (if you can!) otherwise a couple hours will do! 

And, of course, J wanted his plate to be snapped too! I can't tell you how opposite we are in composing our dinner plates... He is a mixer and shaker; I a purist.