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Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Whole sweet potatoes baked until the flesh flakes, split and fluffed, then filled with a cold corn and black bean salsa tossed in a chipotle lime vinaigrette.
Course Main Course
Keyword southwest stuffed sweet potatoes with corn and black bean salsa
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Potatoes

  • 4 medium sweet potatoes about 8 ounces each, scrubbed
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt for the fluffed flesh

For the Corn and Black Bean Salsa

  • 1 can black beans 15 ounces, rinsed and drained well
  • 1 ½ cups corn kernels from 2 cobs, or frozen and thawed
  • ¾ cup tomato diced, seeds removed
  • 3 green onions thinly sliced
  • ⅓ cup cilantro chopped

For the Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

  • 1 lime zested and juiced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

To Finish

  • ⅓ cup cotija crumbled
  • cilantro leaves
  • 1 lime cut into wedges

Instructions

Bake the Sweet Potatoes

  • Heat the oven to 400F. Scrub the sweet potatoes, dry them completely, and prick each one once with a fork.
  • Set them directly on a foil lined sheet pan, with no oil and no foil wrapping, and bake 50 to 60 minutes. They are done when a skewer slides through with no resistance and the skin has loosened.
  • For a weeknight shortcut, microwave the pricked potatoes 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. The flesh will be wetter and milder than an oven baked potato.

Make the Salsa

  • If using frozen corn, char it first in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes without stirring much, until dark spots appear. Let it cool.
  • Whisk the lime zest and juice, olive oil, adobo sauce, cumin, salt and pepper together in the bottom of a large bowl.
  • Add the rinsed black beans, corn, diced tomato and green onions, toss to coat, and let the bowl sit 15 minutes while the potatoes finish. Stir in the chopped cilantro at the end.

Assemble

  • Slice each hot potato lengthwise about three quarters of the way through, then press the ends toward each other so the split opens into a trough.
  • Fluff the exposed flesh with a fork right down into the skin and season it with the salt.
  • Spoon the cold salsa into the trough so the sides of the potato hold it in place, then finish with crumbled cotija and cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges.

Notes

  • Dress the salsa: undressed beans and corn taste flat. The lime and adobo vinaigrette plus a 15 minute rest is what turns the topping into a salsa.
  • Oven over microwave: an hour at 400F dries and concentrates the flesh so it holds a wet topping. A microwaved potato goes soupy under the salsa.
  • Keep the skin on: it is the bowl, and it is good to eat.
  • No chipotles: substitute ½ teaspoon smoked paprika plus a pinch of cayenne.
  • Serve it hot against cold: do not warm the salsa, the temperature contrast is the point.
  • Storage: baked potatoes keep 5 days, salsa keeps 3 days and improves on day two. Never store them assembled.